Neuer recalled to aid Germany World Cup bid

Veteran goalkeeper Manuel Neuer was
handed a surprise recall to Germany's 26-man World Cup squad on Thursday,
coming out of international retirement to play in the tournament for a fifth
time.
The
40-year-old retired from international duty in 2024 but coach Julian Nagelsmann
confirmed the World Cup winner will be the number one option ahead of Oliver
Baumann at this summer's tournament in the United States, Canada and Mexico.
"Everyone
knows the aura and quality Manu has, what he brings to a team," Nagelsmann
said at a squad announcement in Frankfurt.
"We're
planning with him as our number one."
Joshua
Kimmich will retain the captaincy despite the long-time skipper's return.
Former
Manchester City and Bayern winger Leroy Sane, now at Galatasaray, has retained
his spot.
Bayern
Munich's Neuer is the only remaining member of the squad that won the World Cup
in 2014.
Matthias
Ginter, another 2014 World Cup winner who was instrumental in Freiburg's run to
the Europa League final, failed to make the cut, with Newcastle's Malick Thiaw
preferred in central defence.
Bayern
goalkeeper Jonas Urbig was dropped from the squad after being called up for the
March friendlies, but will travel with the side to help in training during the
tournament.
Munich's
Jamal Musiala returns to the squad after missing Germany's March friendlies as
he recovered from a broken ankle.
Nagelsmann
named a Premier League-heavy attacking contingent, which includes freshly
minted English Premier League champion Kai Havertz of Arsenal, Liverpool's
Florian Wirtz and Newcastle's Nick Woltemade.
Bayern
youngster Lennart Karl, 18, was also called up to a major tournament for the
first time.
Germany's World Cup struggles
As
expected, Bayern forward Serge Gnabry misses out with a thigh injury, as does
Barcelona goalkeeper Marc-Andre Ter Stegen. Recent regulars Niclas Fuellkrug
and Robert Andrich were not called up.
The German
FA (DFB) began sharing video snippets announcing the squad player by player on
social media early on Thursday, with Kimmich the first confirmed.
Neuer was
the standout player as Germany won their fourth World Cup in 2014, but since
then the team's form has plummeted.
Germany
crashed out at the World Cup group stage in 2018 for the first time since 1938
and repeated the feat four years later in Qatar.
The
Germans have not fared much better in other international tournaments. Since
making the semi-finals of Euro 2016, Germany have won just one knockout game in
the tournament -- a 2-0 success against Denmark on home soil at Euro 2024.
Neuer has
impressed this season for Bayern, winning man-of-the-match honours in the
quarter-final victory over Real Madrid, but comes into the tournament under an
injury cloud due to a recurring calf complaint.
He is in
doubt for Saturday's German Cup final against Stuttgart in Berlin.
The
Germans will have one final match on home soil, against Finland on May 31,
before facing World Cup co-hosts the United States in Chicago on June 6.
Germany
will be based in North Carolina during the tournament.
They are
in Group C alongside debutants Curacao, the Ivory Coast and Ecuador.
Germany squad:
Goalkeepers: Oliver
Baumann (Hoffenheim), Manuel Neuer (Bayern Munich), Alexander Nuebel
(Stuttgart)
Defenders: Waldemar
Anton (Borussia Dortmund), Nathaniel Brown (Eintracht Frankfurt), Joshua
Kimmich (Bayern Munich), David Raum (RB Leipzig), Antonio Rudiger (Real Madrid),
Nico Schlotterbeck (Borussia Dortmund), Jonathan Tah (Bayern Munich), Malick
Thiaw (Newcastle/ENG)
Midfielders: Nadiem
Amiri (Mainz), Leon Goretzka (Bayern Munich), Pascal Gross (Brighton and Hove
Albion/ENG), Jamie Leweling (Stuttgart), Jamal Musiala (Bayern Munich), Felix
Nmecha (Borussia Dortmund), Aleksandar Pavlovic (Bayern Munich), Angelo Stiller
(Stuttgart), Florian Wirtz (Liverpool/ENG)
Forwards: Maximilian
Beier (Borussia Dortmund), Kai Havertz (Arsenal/ENG), Lennart Karl (Bayern
Munich), Leroy Sane (Galatasaray/TUR), Deniz Undav (Stuttgart), Nick Woltemade
(Newcastle/ENG)
















