Vincent Kompany expressed his admiration for Manuel Neuer, stating he’s “impressed every day” following the goalkeeper’s remarkable nine-save performance in Bayern Munich‘s 2-1 victory over Real Madrid in the Champions League on Tuesday.
At the age of 40, Neuer showcased his skills by stopping three shots each from Kylian Mbappé and Vinícius Júnior, delivering an MVP performance at the Bernabéu and helping Bayern to lead ahead of next week’s quarterfinal second leg in Munich.
Neuer nearly prevented Mbappé’s goal in the 74th minute, getting a hand to the shot before it slipped over the line, giving Madrid a glimmer of hope in the tie.
Kompany playfully acknowledged that praising Neuer might upset other goalkeepers, such as Thibaut Courtois, whom he respects. “Everyone has their own preferences, but Manuel has maintained a high level for an exceptionally long time, which is rare among goalkeepers,” he remarked during his post-match press conference.
“I observe him in training every day, and I’m continually impressed. This illustrates how capable he is of remaining one of the top goalkeepers.”
Neuer’s nine saves mark the highest number he has achieved in a single match over the last five seasons across all competitions.
The last occasion he exceeded this figure in the Champions League knockout rounds was in April 2017, when he made 10 saves against Real Madrid.
Following the match, Madrid’s players praised Neuer, with both goalkeeper Andriy Lunin and defender Antonio Rüdiger referring to him as Bayern’s “best player.”
“If he has earned that title, I’m perfectly fine with it,” Kompany added. “Special performances are vital at this level in such critical matches. Today, we had opportunities to score more goals, so let’s keep this momentum, and hope our attackers shine next week—that would be just fine with me as well.”