2015 draws to a close and VAVEL UK present our first ever Top 50 Players in the World.
Voted for by both editors and writers at VAVEL UK, we have produced a refined list of the best players of this year. Today, we'll reveal the 10th best player of 2015 with Number One on January 1st, New Year's Day.
Keep following to see who has made it and who hasn't. There were some lengthy discussions over who slipped into this list.
You can see the Top 41-50 here. You can see the Top 31-40 here. You can see the Top 21-30 here. You can see the Top 11-20 here. Jerome Boateng came in at number ten, here.
And so, for the ninth best player in the world, Manuel Neuer.
9 - Manuel Neuer (Bayern Munich/Germany)
Words: Ben Johnson.
The problem with measuring Manuel Neuer’s last 12 months in terms of success arises when you realise the Bayern Munich shot-stopper has, for a number of years, been making the extraordinary look commonplace. In the words of Tottenham Hotspur goalkeeper Hugo Lloris, it is undeniable that Neuer is “the most complete goalkeeper in the world”, and yet still, somehow, it becomes easy for some to overlook Neuer’s contribution to the success of one of the best teams in Europe.
From the moment Neuer replaced Frank Rost in the Schalke 04 starting XI for a crunch tie against his future club Bayern—after being given a chance to come on as a substitute earlier in the season and impressing—the 20-year-old’s destiny was secured. Even at such a young age his presence was palpable, and journalists and fans alike were already tipping him to shine for his country in the future.
Arriving on the big stage
In March 2008, Neuer arguably showed the true extent of his capabilities, almost single-handedly keeping his side in a game against Porto during the knockout stages of the UEFA Champions League. The then 22-year-old made a string of saves during normal time, repeatedly tipping the ball around the post or coming out to meet the onrushing strikers head on—a sight that has become all too familiar over the years. It was a virtuoso performance, topped off with two penalty saves in the shoot-out, allowing his side to progress to the next round. The big German had truly arrived.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HY-0xuJ0edM
In the 2010-11 season, Neuer pulled on the captain’s armband and led his team to their first ever Champions League semi-final appearance—before, inevitably, the big guns came calling. Neuer’s heroics had brought the attentions of Bayern’s chairman Karl-Heinz Rummenigge two years before, but he had been unable to lure him to the Allianz Arena. This time, on 20 April 2011, Neuer announced that he would not be extending his contract, opening the door for a big-money move and earning the ire of the Schalke fans.
Tension in both stands
In his last ever game for Schalke, a 5-0 win over Duisburg that earned his side the DfB Pokal trophy, fan celebrations boiled over and one supporter slapped Neuer in the face. Upon his arrival at the Allianz Arena—after a bumper €22 million move—the reception was just as hostile; one group of Bayern ultras even went as far as to try and limit Neuer’s role in Bayern post-match celebrations after he mocked club legend Oliver Khan. Evidently, it would take some time to win the fans’ support.
Champions League adventures
On 25 April 2012, in the semi-final of the Champions League, Bayern prevailed in a penalty shoot-out against Real Madrid, with Neuer saving the penalties of Cristiano Ronaldo and Kaká, helping his side progress to the final—a game that would be played in front of home support. Afterwards, Neuer spoke of how he studied Ronaldo’s previous penalties beforehand; a degree of attention to detail that truly signals Neuer out amongst his peers.
In the end it wasn’t to be for Die Bayern, as they were ousted 4-3 on penalties by Chelsea, to the bitter disappointment of the Bayern fans. Thankfully for them, they wouldn’t have much longer to wait for European football’s most coveted prize.
In the following campaign, during the knockout stages, Neuer kept clean sheets over four games against Juventus and Barcelona, before helping his side lift the trophy with eight saves in a final which saw Bayern run out 2-1 winners against arch-rivals Borussia Dortmund. Champions League success belonged to Manuel Neuer at last.
The world’s best
Over the past few years, Neuer has cemented his position as the best goalkeeper in the world, and has been suitably rewarded for his heroics. In the 2014-15 season, the now 29-year-old won the German footballer of the year award, was voted into the UEFA Team of the Year, and even more prestigiously, finished third in the FIFA Ballon D’Or.
His sweeper-keeper antics—an ability that prompted Joachim Low to say that Neuer “could play in midfield”—have seen him make some incredible stops on a number of important occasions for both club and country, and during 2014’s World Cup in Brazil, he fittingly helped his nation lift the trophy aloft as Germany defeated Argentina 1-0 in the final thanks to a Mario Gotze goal. For his achievements he was awarded the tournament’s Golden Glove for being the best goalkeeper in the competition; another trophy for that considerable cabinet of his.
At times it becomes easy to forget just how instrumental Neuer is to a Bayern team that for a long time have been at their peak. Many times the German has saved his side from trouble and there is no doubt: not only is he the best goalkeeper in the world, but he also deserves his place amongst 2015’s top ten players in club football.