ManuelNeuer

Manuel Neuer keeps goal by standing further up the pitch than most. His first touch is a pass, not a save: he receives back-passes with either foot and looks for the spare man before the press arrives. Off the ball he patrols the edge of his area, sweeping behind a high defensive line and reading through-balls early. When he does come, he commits fully, attacking the ball at its highest point rather than waiting on his line.

At Bayern Munich he has been the first-choice goalkeeper since 2011, and the 386 club appearances in his Bayern record include every competition. He is 40 now, in the 2025/26 season, still at the club where the routine has long since been settled: organise the back line, recycle possession, decide when to leave the box. With Germany he has 128 caps and no goals, which is what a career in gloves looks like. His IFFHS World's Best Goalkeeper awards from 2013 to 2020 show how long that standard has held.