Neuer: 40 Years Old and One of Football's Biggest Debates

Manuel Neuer celebrated his 40th birthday on Friday, an occasion that amplified one of the biggest ongoing debates in German and global football: will the goalkeeper continue playing beyond this summer, when his contract with Bayern Munich expires?

According to German newspaper Bild, the Bayern shot-stopper has requested more time to respond to the club regarding a potential one-year contract extension.

The decision was initially expected by mid-March, but Neuer will now only make it after the Champions League quarter-final matches against Real Madrid. He is expected to be fit for these crucial ties after a minor injury sidelined him from the league fixture against Leverkusen. If all goes to plan, he will return to goal against Freiburg in the Bundesliga on April 4th, three days before the first leg against the Merengues at the Bernabéu.

The 'wall' of Munich has received numerous endorsements to continue playing in recent days. One of the most significant came from Gianluigi Buffon, who played until he was 45. “At that age, I had just moved to Paris Saint-Germain! So, he can still play for another five years [laughs]. He should retire when he feels the time is right. I was a bit crazy back then, I thought if I went to Paris, I would win the Golden Glove for best goalkeeper again,” the Italian told Bayern media.

“I would tell him not to make a hasty decision, but to give himself time and listen to his inner voice,” added the current member of the Italian national team's coaching staff.

Felix Magath also weighed in. The coach who brought Neuer through at Schalke (whose performance against FC Porto in the Champions League was reportedly the litmus test for bigger things) believes that, at 40, “Neuer is still one of the best goalkeepers in the world.” In an interview with Bild, the German coach stated that the player has lost “some athletic qualities,” but retains his “game intelligence, anticipation, and great ability with his feet, something that has made him a very special goalkeeper over the years.”

“In terms of performance and his importance to Bayern and the national team, I place him on the same level as Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo,” Magath emphasized, recalling that the €30 million paid by Bayern to Schalke in 2011 “was no bargain, he was a gift!”

Manuel Neuer is currently the oldest active player in the Bundesliga. In the other top 5 European leagues, however, he is surpassed by three goalkeepers: Pep Reina, the 43-year-old Spaniard at Como (Italy); Łukasz Fabiański, the 41-year-old Pole at West Ham (England); and Steve Mandanda, the 41-year-old Frenchman at Rennes (France). Comparing him to these names, as well as Fábio, the 45-year-old Fluminense goalkeeper who holds the record for most career league appearances (surpassing England's Peter Shilton with 1411 games), the end might still be far off for the German.

For now, Bayern doesn't want to pressure him. They are already preparing a Plan B, with the possible signing of Oliver Baumann from Hoffenheim, who is 35 – still two years younger than the current number two, Sven Ulreich, who started in the recent game against Leverkusen. Young talents are being developed in the academy, but it's still too early to throw them into the deep end. All signs point to Neuer's journey not ending here. “40 years old? He's still very young,” said Vincent Kompany.