Neuer turnaround? Nagelsmann surprises in world goalkeeper vote | OneFootball

Gianluigi Donnarumma is World Goalkeeper 2025 – but Julian Nagelsmann, of all people, puts Manuel Neuer in first place. The vote raises questions, especially with regard to the Bayern captain’s DFB future

Gianluigi Donnarumma is officially World Goalkeeper 2025. In FIFA’s „The Best“ poll, the Italian beat off international competition with a commanding 28 points, collecting significantly more votes than Thibaut Courtois or Alisson Becker. From many observers‘ point of view, the award for the Manchester City goalkeeper is understandable. However, it is all the more exciting to look at Manuel Neuer’s performance – and above all the voting behaviour of national coach Julian Nagelsmann

The FC Bayern captain finished in fifth place overall with five points, narrowly missing out on the top three. Behind Neuer, the 39-year-old left prominent names such as Emiliano Martínez, Yann Sommer and David Raya. This ranking alone underlines the importance that Neuer still enjoys, even at an advanced age

Nagelsmann sends out a clear signal in favor of Neuer

The election is made particularly controversial by the FIFA ballot papers that have now been published. Julian Nagelsmann voted Manuel Neuer into first place – ahead of Courtois and Raya. Donnarumma, the winner of the election, does not appear at all in the national coach’s selection – an unusual, almost contradictory signal

While Nagelsmann obviously still considers Neuer to be the best goalkeeper in the world, he has left the Bayern captain out of the DFB team. Instead, the national coach is sticking with Marc-André ter Stegen, who has just celebrated his comeback at FC Barcelona after a long injury break. It is piquant that Barça coach Hansi Flick no longer sees ter Stegen as number 1, but ranks him behind Joan Garcia

The discrepancy is obvious. Anyone who chooses a goalkeeper as number one in the world is actually sending a clear signal of sporting confidence. The fact that Neuer no longer plays a role in the national team’s plans is causing head-scratching not only among fans, but also among experts

World Cup 2026 is approaching – will there be a U-turn?

photo: IMAGO

With the 2026 World Cup on the horizon, the topic is becoming even more explosive. Time is running out until the tournament in the USA, Canada and Mexico – and the goalkeeping question remains one of the key personnel issues. Neuer himself announced his retirement from the national team after Euro 2024, but deliberately left a back door open. He has recently been cautious in public, but internally he is said to be not fundamentally averse to a return

A clear signal from Nagelsmann would be crucial in this scenario. According to information from the goalkeeper’s entourage, Neuer would certainly be willing to talk if the national coach actively approached him. The current vote at FIFA at least provides a strong argument: anyone who considers Neuer to be the best keeper in the world would find it difficult to completely ignore him when it comes to a major tournament.