Schlotterbeck sees Neuer return as Germany starts with 125th cap
schlotterbeck was part of the last Germany World Cup opener that turned bad, and Manuel Neuer made sure the next one began differently. The 40-year-old started against Curacao in Germany’s World Cup opener after 709 days away from the national team and became the oldest German national player.
Neuer back in Houston
Neuer returned to Germany’s goal at NRG Stadium in Houston with the roof closed, and he did it in the starting lineup rather than on the bench. It was his 125th international appearance, another marker for a career that had already been stretched across 12 years with the national side.
Before kickoff, he said, “Wir sind alle voller Energie,” added that “bei ihm selbst sei ‘alles gut’,” and noted, “Meine Wadenprobleme seien ausgeheilt.” He also said, “Ich habe die Belastungsproben bestanden. Ich freue mich auf das Turnier.” Those words matched the decision on the team sheet.
Germany opens with Neuer
Julian Nagelsmann had no major uncertainty left in the lineup before the match against Curacao, and Germany arrived at the stadium a little more than an hour and a half before kickoff. The timing fit a side that needed a clean start after failing to win its opening World Cup match since 2014.
That run includes the 2018 loss to Mexico and the 2022 defeat against Japan, when an error by Nico Schlotterbeck helped shape the result. Neuer’s return sat against that backdrop, with Germany trying to reset its opening-game record while leaning on the goalkeeper who had been absent for 709 days.
Lothar Matthäus record falls
Neuer also passed Lothar Matthäus to become Germany’s oldest national player. The record adds another line to a resume that already includes the 125th cap, and it shows how central he still is to a team opening a World Cup with its most experienced goalkeeper back in place.
For Germany, the immediate shift is simple: Neuer is not easing back in, he is starting the tournament. For Schlotterbeck, whose name remains tied to the last World Cup opener setback, the new story is that Germany began this one with its veteran keeper in goal and its lineup settled before the first whistle.
