Neuer celebrated his 40th birthday at the end of March. It remains to be seen whether the former German international goalkeeper will continue to guard Bayern’s goal beyond the end of the season. Neuer has not yet extended his contract, which expires at the end of June.
“We’ll see tomorrow; I can’t say yet,” said Neuer when asked whether the intense match in Madrid would leave him with any niggles. He said he “enjoys it with the players, with the team, with the coaching staff. Anything is possible, and that’s why I’m still here despite being 40,” said the veteran.
"The way he saved today was perfect," praised Neuer’s former teammate Mats Hummels – among others, a 2014 World Cup-winning colleague – as a TV pundit onPrime. "There’s no need to beat about the bush: top marks, a world-class performance," Hummels continued.
Former international Christoph Kramer also raved about Neuer’s performance: “The fact that he’s still the best goalkeeper in the world – we all saw the match today – is simply a fact. And it will stay that way for as long as he plays. I think he’s inhumanly good.”