You’ll never guess where Bayern Munich’s Manuel Neuer among Bundesliga goalkeepers

The midseason ranking of Bundesliga goalkeepers released by Germany's Kicker magazine has sparked intense debate. Manuel Neuer, the 39-year-old legendary goalkeeper of Bayern Munich, only secured the 8th position and was classified into the third tier of "National Class"—a ranking that far exceeded external expectations.

In this season's list, the "World Class" tier remains vacant. Borussia Dortmund's Gregor Kobel, RB Leipzig's Peter Gulácsi and TSG Hoffenheim's Oliver Baumann have made it to the "International Class" and claimed the top three spots on the ranking.

From the perspective of the ranking criteria, the top three goalkeepers have delivered consistent and dominant performances this season, making their high rankings well-justified. However, the core of the controversy surrounding Neuer's low position lies in his irreplaceability: as a pivotal component of Bayern's tactical system, his role in underpinning the team's unique playing style is difficult to quantify through mere statistics and subjective analysis. This also explains why most Bayern fans refuse to recognize the ranking and would not trade Neuer for any higher-ranked goalkeeper.

This ranking not only reflects the event evaluators' focus on players' recent competitive form, but also highlights the dilemma of balancing the tactical value of veteran players against their performance-based ratings.

#Bundesliga Midseason Rankings #Neuer Low Ranking Controversy #Veteran Goalkeeper #Tactical CoreRole