On the eve of the World Cup in Qatar, clouds gathered over another star, which could potentially miss the tournament. The health of the famous goalkeeper of the German national team Manuel Neuer has been worrying the fans for the past month.

First, a shoulder injury forced the world champion to miss several Bayern matches, and now it has become known that the 36-year-old goalkeeper suffered cancer.

Shocking news before the main tournament of four years.

Fears before the 2022 World Cup

The German national team is not considered the main favorite for the upcoming world championship, but, unlike most teams, it has champion DNA in its composition. First of all, we are talking about the 2014 World Cup triumphant Manuel Neuer.

Photo: © sampics / Contributor / Corbis Sport / Gettyimages.com

The permanent goalkeeper and captain of the Bundesmanschaft, even at the age of 36, is not inferior to the first number in Bayern, so in Qatar he should definitely become the main conductor of winning traditions. However, in the fall, the veteran fell ill.

Since October 8, the main goalkeeper of Bayern has been treating a shoulder injury. But already on October 25, the football player started training, and cheerful publications appeared in his profile on the social network. Fans were looking forward to the return of the legend.

At the same time, the Munich head coach Julian Nagelsmann introduced a contradiction, reporting the emergence of new painful sensations in the same shoulder joint of Manuel and even hinted that the goalkeeper might miss the most important tournament. The uncertain state dragged on, but on November 13, the federation should announce the composition of the team that will go to Qatar.

Shocking statement

At this difficult moment, the captain of the national team himself went out to the fans with communication, but the subject of communication shocked everyone:

“I had three surgeries and I had skin cancer,” the goalkeeper wrote on the social network.

Neuer did not give details, but the German Bild reports that rumors of a possible illness began in December 2021, when the player was seen walking with a band-aid on his face before Bayern Munich’s match with Barcelona in the Champions League. Neuer still has a scar after going under the knife three times.

Why did the veteran tell about it a year later? It’s all pretty banal. Manuel, in collaboration with German tennis player Angelique Kerber, invested in the creation of sunscreen, as he himself became a victim of ultraviolet radiation:

“Because we constantly train and play outside, and also like to spend our free time in nature, it is important for us to start with modern sun filters and with a SPF 50+. So we know for sure that we have a sunscreen that constantly protects us and with which almost nothing can burn, the legend of the German national team declares in a verified advertising text.

Scandinavian experience

Perhaps, football fans should not be very nervous. Last summer, a case of a successful fight against skin cancer in a famous athlete was recorded in Finland. Elisa Neuvonen, a member of the national race walking team, used an experimental method to remove the tumor using cryotherapy, that is, through freezing, and not by surgery. The result is encouraging, although the state of the athlete has yet to be monitored.

Moreover, as the experience of the Norwegian biathlete Tura Berger shows, cancer can make an athlete stronger. In 2009, the girl struggled with a similar type of disease that arose after the removal of a mole. Tura managed to cope with skin cancer without even interrupting her sports career, and at the 2010 Olympics she won gold in the individual race.

Tura Berger / Photo: © Alexander Hassenstein / Staff / Bongarts / Gettyimages.ru

The precedents for the German legend are encouraging. In addition, along with Manuel’s confession, the Bayern coach tried to calm the audience by announcing the possible appearance of the goalkeeper in the next match against Hertha, which will take place on November 5:

Everyone can sleep peacefully. He is already doing special goalkeeping training and will definitely recover before the World Cup, says Nagelsman.

Apparently, Neuer’s participation in his fourth world championship is almost a done deal. And the experienced experience, quite possibly, will add additional points to the motivation and morale of the goalkeeper and, accordingly, the whole team.