The rise of Manuel Neuer is a special one from becoming unknown to Bayern München and Deutschland's number one. 2014 was a special year for the talented 'keeper, which included a World Cup winners medal and a Ballon D'or nomination.

"He is the world's best keeper. At his age I wasn't close to that. I only started to become a decent keeper at 30." - Oliver Kahn. 

A very talented 'Keeper and Sweeper', Neuer has gripped the world with his exciting style of play and to get praise from München legend Oliver Kahn just shows the level he's praised at.

Neuer grew up in Gelsenkirchen and he was a boyhood Schalke 04 fan, before jumping at the chance to sign for his beloved sport-verein in 2004. He spent four years in the Schalke II side making twenty-six appearances.

In the first of those four years he was quickly spotted as a genuine German talent and signed his first professional contract. He made his debut for the first team on the second matchday of the 2006/07 season, replacing the injured Frank Rost.

Neuer made the number one position firmly his own when Rost was surprisingly dropped for a game against German giants Bayern München, who he would later go on to play for. The German international had a solid game, despite conceding two goals in a 2-2 draw. He first notably made an impression on the European stage by keeping Schalke, almost single handidly, in the Champions League with an outstanding performance against Porto.

In between this he was called up to the senior squad for the 2010 World Cup after Rene Adler sustained an injury. The now 28-year old would go to have an outstanding tournament, which made clubs across the world interested. Neuer became a hero with the Schalke fans and made over 156 Bundesliga appearances in his five-year first team spell.

In his final season he was made club captain and led Schalke to a Champions League semi-final and a DFB-Pokal final win over Duisburg. He announced at the end of the season that he would not be renewing his contract.

This was a massive dissapointment for 04 fans who knew he would be leaving to a rival club. On the 1 June 2011 Schalke and Bayern made an agreement that Neuer would join the German giants in July. He duly agreed and signed a 5-year contract until 2016, it was later announced the fee was €22 million which made him the second most expensive 'keeper ever after Juve legend Gianlugi Buffon. He quickly broke the record for most minutes without conceding, beating Oliver Kahn's record; this was a massive statement from the stopper.

Over the last three years Neuer has been a permanent figure with both club and country. Most notably known for his 'no fear' style of play and capability of shot-stopping and passing. He has made over 264 bundesliga appearances for Bayern, keeping over 100 clean sheets in the process. The past few years has seen the young kid from North-Rhine Westphalia go on to win three Bundesliga titles, three German cups, two UEFA-Super cups, one Club World Cup and, most notably, a Champions League winners medal against Borrussia Dortmund in 2013.

At international level, he has played in two World Cups and was victorious in this summer's competition, were he was named Goalkeeper of the Tournament. He impressed hugely led Germany to success. This is the rise of a young boy from Gelsenkirchen, to a World Cup winner in Rio de Janiero.