Manuel Neuer faces a spell on the sidelines after suffering a partial tear in his right foot tendon during Bayern Munich’s 2-1 victory over Mainz on Saturday.
The milestone was interrupted before halftime when the goalkeeper had to be substituted for 23-year-old Jonas Urbig after failing to deal with a cross that led to a disallowed goal by Lee Jae-sung.
Aaron Danks, the assistant coach standing in for Vincent Kompany due to health issues, noted that Neuer felt something in his foot again.
Max Eberl, the sporting director of the club, also addressed the recurring issue and expressed hope that the injury would not prove serious.
Medical examinations in Munich confirmed a partial tear in a tendon of the right foot. The injury adds to a series of physical setbacks for the team captain, who previously missed four matches due to similar foot trouble before returning to action in a 2-0 win over Atlético Madrid in the UEFA Champions League.
Beyond his physical battles, Neuer has faced increased criticism over defensive errors. Data from Sofascore, utilizing statistics from Opta, highlights that the veteran committed five errors leading to goals across his last 17 league appearances—averaging an error every 3.4 matches. This contrasts sharply with his earlier form, where he recorded only 10 mistakes across 248 prior appearances, establishing a much lower rate of one error every 24.8 matches.
Those recent mishaps include an error against Augsburg last month that resulted in Ruben Vilahor scoring the fastest goal in Bundesliga history after just eight seconds. Despite these defensive scares against Mainz and Augsburg, Bayern maintained their position at the top of the Bundesliga table with 21 points from nine matches, sitting level on points with Borussia Dortmund.
German media outlets estimate that Neuer will be sidelined for at least six weeks, with some reports suggesting a period of six to eight weeks.
Neuer admitted the physical toll of his ongoing issues, telling reporters that he feels pain daily when walking and upon waking. Having previously indicated earlier in the summer preparations that it is very likely that I will retire
at the close of the 2026-2027 campaign, his latest setback has intensified discussions regarding his retirement.