Shocking: The "last line of defense" for Kim Min-jae has collapsed. "Season-ending injury confirmed"... Veteran goalkeeper Neuer suffers right foot ligament tear. "A bitter retirement as it stands?"

*This content was translated by AI.View Original

Kim Min-jae (30)'s Bayern Munich teammate and veteran goalkeeper Manuel Neuer (40) will be unable to play in the remaining schedule for this year due to an injury.

On the 8th (Korean time), Munich announced via its official website that Neuer suffered a partial tear of a ligament in his right foot during the away match against Mainz in Round 9 of the 2026-2027 German Bundesliga season on the 7th (Munich won 2-1). Neuer, who started the match, was substituted out just before the end of the first half due to the injury.

German local media outlets such as "Bild" predicted that Neuer would be sidelined for at least six weeks to two months. A return this year is effectively impossible.

Coincidentally, Neuer stepped onto the pitch on this day at the age of 40 years and 225 days, surpassing Bernd Dreyer (40 years and 198 days) in 2007 to set a new record for the oldest appearance in Bundesliga history for the Munich club. However, the glory of this milestone was dimmed as he suffered a ligament injury following the right foot tendon inflammation he had been suffering from until just before.

Munich will guard its goal with successor Jonas Urbig's system for the time being. Kim Min-jae, who is responsible for defensive backline duties, also faces the challenge of having to coordinate in the defensive line with Urbig, a backup goalkeeper in his early 20s, instead of veteran Neuer for the time being.

Neuer, who has suffered frequent injuries this season, has appeared in only nine matches so far, playing a total of 765 minutes. In contrast, Urbig, who has been guarding the goal in his place, has already completed 675 minutes across eight matches. With Neuer's long-term absence confirmed, it is expected that Urbig will soon easily surpass the starting goalkeeper's playing time.

Although Neuer led Bayern Munich to an 11-year Bundesliga title streak and two UEFA Champions League (UCL) titles since joining the club in 2011, he appears unable to escape the weight of time. With his contract with Munich set to expire next summer, local media are highly predicting the possibility of retirement after the end of the season following this injury.

Meanwhile, Munich, which is leading the league with an unbeaten record in nine matches since the start (6 wins, 3 draws, 21 points), has entered the November international break. Kim Min-jae will move to Qatar to join the Moreno team and prepare for the match against Saudi Arabia on the 13th and the match against Qatar on the 17th.

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*This content was translated by AI.View Original