„Always on equal footing“: Urbig raves about his relationship with Neuer | OneFootball

Jonas Urbig has been playing for FC Bayern for a year and a half now. The goalkeeper joined the club from 1. FC Köln and has quickly settled in well in Munich. He recently spoke about his relationship with Manuel Neuer. 

Neuer is currently still the starting goalkeeper—the number one in Munich. Urbig is the second-string goalkeeper at FC Bayern, but he’s already getting plenty of playing time.

To date, he has made 22 appearances in the Bundesliga and seven in the Champions League. And he has already proven himself to be a reliable backup with a lot of potential. No wonder he’s considered a likely successor to Neuer.

Urbig: Neuer is “obviously an icon”

In an interview with the club’s member magazine 51, Urbig spoke about his relationship with Neuer: “Manu is, of course, an icon. You look up to him—but what I quickly realized is that he doesn’t look down on you. Manu always treats you as an equal. We hit it off right away.”

Photo: IMAGO

But that doesn’t change his ambitions, as the young goalkeeper made clear. “Of course he’s Manuel Neuer, and of course I want to play too, but to me he’s first and foremost just a person and a teammate. That’s why you could also say we’re friendly rivals,” Urbig continued.

Both Neuer and Sven Ulreich, who rounds out the goalkeeping duo at FC Bayern, are important teammates Urbig can turn to: “What matters most to me is that I can go to them with any question, and I always get good advice. Manuel and Sven’s vast experience is simply invaluable to me. And I’m really eager to learn.”

These aren’t just good conditions for working together this season, but also for Urbig’s continued development. He knows he just has to be patient, because Neuer is expected to retire next summer.