Player profile

Confirmed as Germany’s number one by coach Joachim Loew in the build-up to the tournament, Neuer could soon be heading for one of Europe’s biggest clubs, having been linked with Manchester United and Bayern Munich.

Bayern chairman Karl-Heinz Rummenigge has even been confident enough to state that they are ready to open negotiations, but leaving Schalke would be a wrench for Neuer, who has been with his home-town club since the age of five.

He was in goal when Germany triumphed at last year’s European Under-21 Championships in 2009, having made his senior debut against the UAE a month earlier. He won his second cap in November against the Ivory Coast as a substitute for Tim Wiese, but gifted the Africans a goal when his attempted clearance ricocheted into the net off the head of Emmanuel Eboue.

Neuer enjoyed an outstanding domestic season, keeping 15 clean sheets in the Bundesliga as Schalke posted the joint best defensive record in the league. He was an ever-present in the side, conceding just 31 goals in 34 matches and saving 73.3% of shots on his goal.