Honorary captain Philipp Lahm is by no means writing off his former world champion and club colleagues Manuel Neuer and Thomas Müller for the home European Championship next year, even if they are not currently part of the national team.
"Manuel Neuer and Thomas Müller are two excellent footballers," said the 39-year-old Lahm of the German Press Agency almost a year before the opening game of the European Championship on June 14, 2024 in Munich about the two FC Bayern professionals.
"Both can still help any top team," said Lahm, who serves as tournament director and national OC chief at the finals in Germany. The 37-year-old captain and goalkeeper Neuer was used, as was attacker Müller, 33, in the early World Cup failure in Qatar.
Your current international break and open DFB future have different reasons. Both became world champions together with Lahm in 2014 and would like to play in a home tournament ten years later.
Neuer (117 internationals) suffered a broken leg in a skiing accident on vacation after the World Cup. The longtime number one is currently working on a comeback in the Bayern and DFB goal. "Manuel has just come back from a long period of injury. But I am firmly convinced that he will find his old strength again. I know him and I know: Manu will do everything to ensure that he returns to the goal at the top level," said Lahm.
Before the upcoming international matches against Ukraine, Poland and Colombia, national coach Hansi Flick had once again expressed his conviction that Neuer would "get back to his old level". The goalkeeper was a regular in the DFB goal for over a decade.
Müller, like Neuer, did not end his DFB career after the World Cup and a total of 121 international matches (44 goals). At the beginning of the year, however, Flick announced that he wanted to do without the experienced Munich player for the international matches in March and now in June.
Lahm refers to Müller's special qualities: "Thomas has something that not every player has: he is an exceptional player and recognizes situations in the last third of the field." As Bayern coach, Flick won the treble with Neuer and Müller in 2020.
