Bayern Munich’s understaffed yet dogged 2-1 win over Paris Saint-Germain had quite a few talking points. One such point came from none other than Bayern captain Manuel Neuer, but not in the way one might expect.
According to WhoScored, as captured by @iMiaSanMia, Neuer played 18 successful long balls against PSG, and a whopping 41 in total. Both are apparently records for a single player so far in this season’s Champions League. Not a goalkeeper, a PLAYER.
While fans may have been more blown away by his ball handling and saves against Paris, the fact that he racked up numbers that not even the best passing midfielders in Europe have done so far, as a goalkeeper no less, is quite astonishing to say the least. Neuer is only five or so months away from his 40th birthday, and he proved once again that he can still deliver on the biggest stage.
Perhaps it was not by chance that Neuer was named Player of the Match. His saves were one thing, his skills were another.
