Manuel Neuer matches a tough World Cup record in Germany’s last match, marking the end of his international career.
In what will be his final World Cup appearance, Manuel Neuer came out of retirement this year in a surprising move, but he ends his Germany career by matching an unwanted record.
Many in Germany were surprised when coach Julien Nagelsmann picked 40-year-old Neuer for the World Cup squad, especially since he had retired in 2024 after the Euros. With 124 appearances for Germany, Neuer took the starting goalkeeper spot from Oliver Baumann, leaving Alexander Nubel as third choice.
This decision might be one Nagelsmann regrets, as Germany faced a shocking early exit from the 2026 World Cup. Their strong history in penalty shootouts ended when Paraguay, an unexpected challenger, knocked them out in the Round of 32.
However, Germany didn’t lose just because of penalties. Their defense has struggled in recent tournaments, a trend that showed again because they let in goals in every game this World Cup—just like they did in 2018 in Qatar.
This defensive weakness has led Neuer to tie the record for most consecutive World Cup games without a clean sheet. In what should have been an easy win, a powerful header by Julio Enciso put Paraguay ahead in the 42nd minute, marking the tenth straight World Cup match where Germany conceded a goal.
Since their famous 2014 World Cup win against Argentina, Neuer and the defense have let in goals in every game. In 2018, South Korea, Sweden, and Mexico all scored as Germany was knocked out in the group stage. The same happened in 2022 with Japan, Spain, and Costa Rica scoring against them. This time, Germany moved past the group stage but still gave up goals to Curacao, Ivory Coast, Ecuador, and Paraguay.
Now, Neuer shares this unwanted record with Antonio Carbajal of Mexico, who also conceded goals in ten straight World Cup games between 1950 and 1962. They are ahead of other famous keepers like Thomas Ravelli from Sweden and Jorge Campos from Mexico.
No goalkeeper in the 21st century has gone more than seven games in a row without letting in a goal. Clearly, Germany needs to fix this defensive problem. The team looks promising for the future with young stars like Jamal Musiala, Florian Wirtz, and Lennart Karl ready to shine in attack, but the defense will need some serious work going forward.