New number one

Manuel Neuer's career is stuck in fast-forward. The goalkeeper was just 20 when he deposed seasoned No.1 Frank Rost between the sticks at Schalke. At the age of 21, he was the penalty-saving hero as his hometown club found itself in the Champions League quarter-finals.

Last summer, he was part of the Germany under-21 team that won the European Championships. And now this summer he's been trusted with keeping goal for the full side at the World Cup. "I feel ready for the task," Neuer told Sport Bild newspaper before the tournament.

Jens Lehmann is among those who aren't as sure. "If we want to be world champions, it would be difficult to imagine it with Manuel Neuer as our number one goalkeeper," the former national 'keeper told Bild. "He has made mistakes over and over again. But I do like Neuer, he will make a good goalkeeper one day."

Whether that day has yet come is something that will become clear as the tournament progresses - but Neuer himself seems to have no problem with Lehmann’s comments - time and again, he names the former Arsenal man as one of his idols.

All the tools in his locker

Neuer has just six international caps to date, and coming into the tournament none of them had been in competitive games. He made his debut less than a year ago, impressing against the United Arab Emirates. But he was at fault for Ivory Coast's first goal in a friendly in November 2009, his clearance bouncing off Emmanuel Eboue and into the goal.

Picked for Germany's recent World Cup warm-up against with Malta, he had a quiet evening, but stayed alert enough to make one superb save and deny Roderick Briffa. The hallmark of a top-level goalkeeper.

Therein lies the frustration many feel with Neuer's ability. He is an unrivalled shot-stopper, but prone to costly lapses in concentration. He might grow out of it, he's only 24.

Neuer is a one-club man, born in Gelsenkirchen and on the books at Schalke since the age of five. He got his chance in the first-team early in the 2006-07 season, and hasn't relinquished the position since. "It all happened so fast, there was no time to think about the whole situation," said the young keeper.

In his second season as No.1 he made two point-blank saves in normal time, and two more in the penalty shoot-out, to drop FC Porto and win Schalke a place in the last eight of the Champions League. He finished this season in confident fashion with a penalty save against Bundesliga rivals Mainz, showing a penalty-stopping specialism that augurs well with tournament football approaching.

Neuer, who stands at around 195cm (6' 5"), is both imposing and agile. Germany would do well to use his strong throw to launch quick counter attacks, as Schalke have done to good effect. Involvement in several contentious incidents in last September's Ruhr derby against Dortmund shows a feisty side to his character.

Moreover, Neuer is a commanding figure for the defenders in front of him. It's an important consideration for national coach Joachim Loew, with the gloves of Lehmann - not to mention greats like Oliver Kahn and Toni Schumacher - still to be filled.

Author: Thomas Sheldrick
Editor: Matt Hermann