BERLIN: Bayern Munich goalkeeper Manuel Neuer was on Thursday named as the new captain of world champions Germany following Bastian Schweinsteiger’s international retirement.
“For me it is a great honor,” said Neuer after the German Football Association (DFB) announced his appointment on their website.
“It makes me proud to be captain of the team, but we all know that we need several players to lead on the pitch, if we are to succeed.
“The key things are already always discussed within ‘die Mannschaft’ and decided together.
“Of course, the captaincy has great symbolic significance.
“I am very pleased with the trust the coach has shown in me in this appointment.”
Having made his international debut in 2009, in a 7-2 win against the United Arab Emirates in Dubai, Neuer has kept 25 clean-sheets in 71 of his Germany appearances.
He was between the posts when they won the 2014 World Cup title and was voted the best goalkeeper in the world in 2013, 2014 and 2015.
The 30-year-old will wear the captain’s armband for Germany’s opening 2018 World Cup qualifier away to Norway in Oslo on Sunday.
Head coach Joachim Loew said he was in the luxurious position of having several candidates to choose from.
Neuer’s Bayern teammates Jerome Boateng, Thomas Mueller and Mats Hummels were all touted as options by the German media.
“In the national team, we are in the fortunate position that we have several leading players who fit the format and a captain’s profile,” said Loew, who has been Germany’s boss for the last decade.
“For me, Manuel Neuer was the logical successor to Bastian Schweinsteiger.
“He brings everything to the table that I’d wish for in a captain.
“His sporting achievements are outstanding. Manuel is always there for the team, he is a team player and an absolute role model.
“He accepts responsibility, but is always calm and collected.”
Although he has been named as Schweinsteiger’s permanent replacement, the Oslo qualifier will not be the first time Neuer has captained his country.
He has skipper in five of Germany’s six matches at June’s Euro 2016 which Schweinsteiger had started on the bench after recovering from a knee injury before the European championships.
Neuer has worn the captain’s armband in a total of 14 internationals, starting with Germany’s 4-2 defeat to Argentina in Duesseldorf in September 2014, in the wake of their World Cup triumph.
Lothar Matthaeus, who captained Germany to the 1990 World Cup title in Italy, says Neuer is the right man for the job.
“He has the personality, the demeanour and the reputation, within the team, to make a really good captain,” said the 55-year-old Matthaeus, Germany’s most capped player.
A reader poll in Germany’s top daily newspaper Bild made Bayern defender Jerome Boateng the people’s choice, but the center-back only narrowly won the survey with 37 percent, compared to 34 for Neuer.
Neuer named as Germany’s new captain
Neuer named as Germany’s new captain
Real Madrid, Zalgiris headline adidas NextGen EuroLeague in Abu Dhabi
- 8 top under-18 teams compete for place in Athens final in May
- Tournament is at city’s Space42 Arena from Feb. 27 to March 1
RIYADH: Abu Dhabi will have Europe’s brightest young basketball talent this week at the adidas NextGen EuroLeague tournament.
Eight of the continent’s leading under-18 teams will compete from Feb. 27 to March 1 at Space42 Arena, with a place at the finals in Athens on the line. The finals in May will be staged alongside the EuroLeague Final Four in the Greek capital.
Defending continental champions Zalgiris Kaunas and five-time title holders Real Madrid headline the Abu Dhabi qualifier, which forms part of the 2025–26 adidas NextGen EuroLeague season.
The eight teams have been divided into two groups of four and will play in a round-robin format. The winners of each group will advance to Sunday’s championship game, while placement fixtures will determine the remaining standings.
The Abu Dhabi event follows the Ulm qualifier, won by U18 Cedevita Olimpija Ljubljana, who have already secured their place in Athens. The winners of upcoming tournaments in Bologna (March 13–15) and Belgrade (March 20–22) will complete the finals lineup.
Group A features Real Madrid alongside U18 Aris Thessaloniki, U18 Dubai Basketball and U18 AS Monaco.
Aris enter their third season in the competition, having finished seventh at the Munich qualifier last year with a 2–2 record after placing sixth in Abu Dhabi the previous campaign.
Dubai Basketball are also competing in their third NextGen season. The UAE side finished eighth in Ulm last year with a 0–4 record but claimed a notable win over U18 Mega Super Belgrade at the NextGen Finals.
However, they missed another victory against U18 EA7 Emporio Armani Milan to finish 1–2 overall. Dubai previously hosted a 2024 qualifier, ending with a 1–3 record.
Monaco make their second appearance after an eighth-place finish in Paris in 2024.
Real Madrid, meanwhile, will be aiming to reassert their dominance after an uncharacteristic third-place finish at last season’s Munich qualifier ended a streak of 11 consecutive qualifying tournament victories.
The Spanish powerhouse had also won 19 straight NextGen games dating back to the 2022 finals in Belgrade before falling to Zalgiris in the group stage last year.
Real are the competition’s most successful club with five continental titles (2015, 2019, 2021, 2023 and 2024) and are competing in their 19th consecutive season since 2007–08.
Group B has reigning champions Zalgiris Kaunas take on U18 London Lions, U18 Next Gen Team Abu Dhabi and U18 Valencia Basket. London Lions make their tournament debut as the club continues to expand their European presence.
The Next Gen Team Abu Dhabi compete in their fifth season and second under head coach Dogus Balbay, a two-time EuroLeague champion. He is assisted by former Italian international Massimo Bulleri and Kheeryoung Rhee.
Valencia Basket are making their 10th appearance in the competition and their eighth in succession. The Spanish side have twice reached the finals, in Vitoria-Gasteiz in 2019 and as hosts in 2021, and finished runners-up in Munich last season after three consecutive fifth-place finishes.
Zalgiris, one of the most storied names in the tournament’s history, are appearing in their 24th edition — having featured in every NextGen season since its inception.
The Lithuanian club won the inaugural event in 2003, added another title in 2007 and lifted the trophy again last summer in Abu Dhabi. They also reached the championship game in 2005, 2006 and 2011, underlining their pedigree at youth level.
