Last weekend, Bayern's legendary goalkeeper Neuer visited the "Red Rocket Hopfbach" fan club in Schutzenheim to reminisce about how former manager Pep Guardiola profoundly shaped Bayern and his career.
Neuer was full of praise for Guardiola's Bayern coaching career between 2013 and 2016, pointing out that Guardiola not only reshaped Bayern's soccer philosophy, but also greatly improved the team's competitive level. He said: "Pep has brought us a new perspective on soccer, his tactics and coaching philosophy have led to a new era. After Bayern won many honors, Guardiola's contribution is indelible."
In Guardiola's three seasons in charge, Bayern Munich won three Bundesliga titles, two German Cups, one Club World Cup and one European Super Cup, a remarkable record. Neuer also mentioned that Guardiola's wisdom was also instrumental in Germany winning the World Cup in 2014, as there were a number of Bayern players in that team, including himself, with six starting, and substitute Götze scoring the winning goal.
Speaking about his personal bond with Guardiola, Neuer said, "We had an excellent relationship and still keep in touch. I'm very honored to have had a coach like him and the impact on my career is everlasting."
In addition, Neuer shared an anecdote about a tennis duel he had with his old teammate Schweinsteiger and his wife Ana Ivanovic during his vacation in Majorca. He humorously said, "Piggy (Schweinsteiger) was a little bit overwhelmed because Ana thought I was playing the best, which made him quite upset. Piggy has always been ambitious and still doesn't seem to be over the incident."
