Neuer suffers partial tendon tear in Bayern win at Mainz

Bayern Munich goalkeeper Manuel Neuer was injured during the club's Bundesliga win at Mainz on 8 November 2026. Medical checks showed a partial tear of a tendon in his right foot.

The club expected the 40-year-old captain to be sidelined until the new year. That meant he would miss a long run of Bundesliga and European fixtures for Bayern, who would have to rely on their backup goalkeepers in the meantime.

The injury mattered beyond Munich. Neuer has long been one of the most important goalkeepers in German football, and any extended absence raises questions about who takes the number one position at club level. It also affects the national team, whose coach Julian Nagelsmann's successor-era squad planning, now under Jürgen Klopp's oversight, had to account for the sudden gap in goalkeeping options.

The news came as Germany's squad for upcoming matches was being finalised, which is why Neuer's injury became part of the wider discussion about the team's make-up.