Always the one left short? Legend shapes his rival's career

"Everyone knows what kind of aura Manu has, what qualities he has, what he gives a team," the national coach explained in justifying his decision, which mainly sparked sympathy for Oliver Baumann, as he has now lost his regular spot with Germany. But the decision also had consequences for Nübel, because he is no longer the number two, but only the third-choice keeper in the German squad. That means he can bury his hopes of a possible World Cup appearance, even if it were only in a no-longer-decisive group match or a possible third-place game.

For a short time, he even had to worry about missing out entirely, because Munich’s 'Abendzeitung' claimed that he could be dropped altogether due to his supposedly poor relationship with Neuer. But it is bad enough as it is, because it may have been his last chance of playing at a World Cup. At the next tournament in 2030, Nübel will already be 33 years old, and there are plenty of young goalkeepers in Germany raring to go who could then have a better long-term outlook.

Neuer remains impossible to get past For six years now, ever since Nübel moved from Schalke to Bayern, Neuer has been for him what he is for countless strikers: an obstacle he simply cannot overcome. When he arrived, the 23-year-old was still regarded as "one of Europe’s greatest goalkeeping talents," as 'Spiegel' described him when announcing the transfer. The magazine later wrote that a clause had been included in his contract stating that Nübel would be allowed to play at least ten matches per season.

Neuer and then-coach Hansi Flick, however, were absolutely not having it. "It is the case that I’m here to make the decisions on who plays and who doesn’t play. That is my job, and I won’t let anyone interfere with that," the coach said at a press conference in March 2021.