Neuer on memorable European nights
Neuer on memorable European nights Bayern’s 2025/26 Champions League adventure has reached its crucial stage. But how do you prepare for such big European nights? Manuel Neuer sat down with members’ magazine ‘51’ to talk about pressure, memories and how big teams prevail in these big fixtures.
Interview with Manuel Neuer Manuel, your first Champions League final was in 2004 as a ball boy – Monaco against José Mourinho’s Porto. What’s your memory of that evening? “I was living at Schalke’s academy at the time and looked straight out at the stadium every day.
Of course, as a teenager I had big dreams, but a final like that seemed almost out of reach. I played with so many guys back then, and a year later some of them were already gone, because so many are weeded out in the youth ranks. During that match, I was assigned as a ball boy at the corner flag of the south stand.
It was a special experience, even if the match itself wasn’t perhaps one of the most spectacular finals and there have certainly been louder nights in Gelsenkirchen. ” You’ve played in many special matches during your career: Champions League finals, big knockout ties, tournament finals. How does preparing for a night like that differ from a normal match?
“I’m a firm believer in maintaining as much normality as possible. Of course, there are external requirements in a final – fixed times for press conferences, joint appearances with the opposition. But the biggest difference is in the atmosphere – more family and friends in attendance, often a match abroad, just this one final, no home and away legs.
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