a detective amongst us pointed out that jonas made his instagram page in april 2016 and that's when he started liking manu's posts - i wanted to say that this correlates nicely with when jonas began to play as a goalkeeper full-time. he was born in august 2003 and said in an interview that he used to sometimes play as an outfielder until he was 12-13 years old. it comes as no surprise that a 2000s-born german goalkeeper who misses his outfielder days would look up to manuel neuer. it would be really funny if his thought process was "i'm a goalkeeper for real now ... i need to lock in and be serious ... let me do some networking with manuel neuer the sweeper keeper of all time" and his version of "networking with manuel neuer" was to follow and spam like his instagram. come for the career advice, stay for the "nice sundowners" (real ones know).
little did he know that, ten years later, he would be featured on said manuel neuer's instagram. imagine being 21 years old, on loan in the second division, and bayern come in for you. and there he is, the manuel neuer, the very same one that you watched on television, the same one from the instagram page. he knows your name, you exchange phone numbers, you see each other at training every day, you can't believe how good life is. he wants to help you succeed, but not only that, he wants to be your friend. he brings you to the world cup even though you didn't make the team this time, and takes you on nice walks and to hang out at cafes, because you are special, not just to bayern and to germany, but to him. you have his blessing, and you, of all people, will be the next number one. he must be living the dream.
jonas is lucky, in a sense, that he's come around at a time that manu is fully ready to train a successor. thomas (who is now on a long trip to get milk but will be back in the near future) and manu did a great job taking care of bayern and germany's present and future. they've seen essentially the entire come-up of jo, jamal, and aleks, and been there for guys that joined a bit later, but still at young ages, like serge and leon. all of them (and many more teammates) have spoken very highly about thomas and manu's leadership and how they've supported young players. and now the legacy continues - we've seen how leon and jo have spent time with younger midfielders like aleks and tom, for example.
#my beautiful bayern family # <3 #yes thomas is still part of the family #yes leon is also still part of the family #always will be
goalkeeping, though, is a uniquely lonely profession, and until now, manu hasn't really had someone to be lonely with. jonas is evidently in a "i can't believe this is my life" stage, like he's waiting to wake up from a dream, but this is just his life now! the best goalkeeper to ever live is your actual real life friend and teammate and wants you to take over for him one day! he looks up to manu in a way that i don't think i've ever seen one player do for another, like he would do literally anything manu tells him to do. but maybe this is what manu has been waiting for, in a slightly different sense, to know that the goalkeeping position will continue to be in (literal) safe hands. maybe he reached a stage in his career in recent years where he's felt completely ready to teach a protƩgƩ, and he's just been waiting for the right one to come along. and here comes a kid who's a part-time midfielder, who loves coffee and tennis, someone that isn't just there for him to mentor but also to befriend. working at the fc bayern is crazy because you will be 22 with a 40 year old best friend like where mr. neuer at today?
the real question is, what happens next? taking a player that's not actually in the squad to a major tournament is rare, especially if the player is young and just starting their career. i know that austria did so with david alaba - who was still recovering from an acl injury - for euro 2024; as their captain, they wanted him to be there as a team leader, even if he couldn't play. however, jonas went to the world cup as a young, inexperienced player, and if it really was mainly for "training purposes", they could've taken one of the many older, more experienced goalkeepers that were not called up (although the number one position may have been in flux, there is no shortage of german goalkeepers in general).
it's apparently been confirmed (to some extent) that manu wanted jonas specifically for the world cup, which, first of all, imagine being hand-picked by manuel neuer, and, second of all, the dfb has set a kind of weird precedent here. if they did it once, will they allow it again? when september rolls around and the team is heading to amsterdam, will manu call in some favours and get himself involved? will he just involve himself without asking, because who's going to stop manuel neuer from mentoring germany's next number one?
if manu is involved in a vibes and mentorship way in the future i feel like jonas basically gets a free pass to hang out and do whatever. jo is germany's captain but manu is his captain and always will be so he won't stand in his way. of course he wants bayern and germany to have a strong goalkeeper for the next 20 years! he's trying to captain this team into winning something, anything at all, and if that means manu is taking jonas on a bike-and-cafƩ-hop journey across amsterdam on their free afternoon, then let it be so. may your feet have a ball at them and your hands be safe or whatever.
what do you think? should the dfb bring manu along? and will they? please share your thoughts <3
First of all, I want to thank you for this masterpiece of an askā¦this is maybe the greatest one Iāve ever received ā¤ļø you captured the heart and soul of their relationship so beautifully, and better than I could ever hope to. Everything is so detailed, thoughtful, and well-articulated. Your mind š¤Æ You should seriously consider writing fics if you havenāt already, genuinely. Iād gobble them right up.
For starters, I had no idea just how much their goalkeeper origin stories paralleled one another. A goalkeeper who used to moonlight as an outfield player that sometimes still yearns for the midfield, you say? If you hadnāt already told me, I wouldāve thought it was Manuel Neuer we were talking about! No wonder him and Jonas instantly clicked; they already had something in common!
Something about when Jonas was born and the way he interpreted goalkeeping, drawing on his experience as an outfield player, makes him especially susceptible to Manuās influence. I was actually doing a bit of research and I found out that Jonas said in his first Pressekonferenz with Bayern that Manu was a major inspiration to him. The rumors are true after all!
Side note, but given the misinformation iMiaSanMia recently posted, I verified this independently, and Jonas did say that š If you want to see for yourself, hereās the press conference, and the question begins around 35:30.
As you pointed out, he was born in 2003. When he was growing up, he wouldāve witnessed Manuel Neuerās meteoric rise to the top, sitting enraptured before the television as this phenom, this soon-to-be legend, pioneered a style of goalkeeping the likes of which had never really been seen before. Given it was his dream to play for Bayern, he likely knew who Neuer was from a young age, whether he watched him at Schalke or not. He wouldāve likely seen the 2010 World Cup where the world was introduced to a profoundly gifted goalkeeper, as well as the 2014 World Cup, where the prophecies of his legend were realized. When Jonas stood in goal, then, perhaps he imagined himself as Manuel Neuer, out-dribbling outfielders and darting out fearlessly into one-on-ones, poaching the ball from a strikerās waiting feet. Much like with Manu, the box was a suggestion.
Thereās something about the timing of Jonas following Manu on Instagram as well that sticks out to me, and you highlighted it brilliantly: around 12-13, he cemented his role as a goalkeeper. And when did Jonas first start liking Manuās posts? 2016. I love your headcanon that this was his idea of locking in and networking. I adore how he started with the very best goalkeeper too š to expand on your brilliant thoughts a little more, I like to think Jonasā approach to networking with the goat was as follows:
Follow Manuel Neuer on Instagram. For career advice. Definitely just for career advice.
Pay your respects. Like everything. Ok, so maybe itās not all to do with goalkeeping, but you can help it. Manu is funny and charming and you like seeing the human behind the legend.
Side note, for those who donāt know the ānice sundownerā reference and might be getting some FOMO, I present to you exhibit A:
And Iām sure Jonas couldnāt even begin to imagine in his loftiest of daydreams that one day he himself would be featured on Manuās very profile, right alongside him. After all, back then he was just a boy with a dream and a museāa muse he sometimes stalked on Instagram. I sometimes forget that when Bayernāthe club of his dreamsācame calling, Jonas was still stranded on another loan spell: Greuther FĆ¼rth in the second division. What must it have meant for him to find out that Bayern, the club of legends heād admired from afar for so many years, had taken notice of all his hard work? What must it have been like when he finally met Manuel Neuerāthe myth of a man heād watched, awestruck, from afar for most of his lifeāin the flesh? There Manuel Neuer stood before him, bright, perceptive blue eyes focused on him: Jonas Urbig.
And the story only continues from thereāone you illustrated so beautifully. His idol knows him by name. It probably doesnāt feel real at firstāhearing āJonasā leave his idolās lips, the same way swapping numbers and having Bayernās number one in his contacts probably doesnāt. And then heās training alongside himāa perfect front row seat to his greatness pretty much every day. Manuās just as perfect as heād always been, but now heās so close Jonas could touch him. And even that wouldāve been enough. But no, his hero knows him and he gets to learn from him every day.
And it doesnāt stop there. Manu wants to know him. Really know him. He wants to be more than a mentor; he wants to be a friend, a confidante. And itās so much easier to let Manu in than Jonas wouldāve ever thought it was. After all, Manuās aura is much the same off the pitch as it is on it: calm, reassuring. And soon heās sharing about himself without even realizing it, rambling on about his love of coffee one day simply because it feels safe and natural for him to be himself around Manu. It turns out Manu loves coffee just as much. Suddenly, itās not just a professional relationship anymore; itās a personal one too. Manu takes him on coffee dates and beach walks. Jonas cycles by his side. Back when he was Kƶln, he felt like an outcast. When he was on his loan spells, he probably felt expendable. At Bayern, Jonas knows what itās like to be valued. Manuel dotes on him and cheers on his every success. He has the approval of the greatest goalkeeper of all time. He is seen. He is cherished. He is loved. He belongs.
Thereās something about being chosen, isnāt there? Especially by someone you admire so deeply, so devoutly. You put it beautifully: imagine being hand-picked by Manuel Neuer. Despite not making the World Cup squad, Manu sees something in him. Iām glad that you pointed out that without his interference, if Germany wanted to bend the rules a bit, they couldāve taken any other goalkeeper along. There isnāt a shortage of more experienced goalkeepers they couldāve brought so they could get their foot in the door on the international stage. But no, Manu believes in Jonas and his future success so much he made it a condition of his return that he be brought to the World Cup. It must feel like something akin to being anointed by a saintāa god. I wonder if Jonas still has to remember to pinch himselfāthat this isnāt just a dream. That this is the life heās actually livingāone where the great Manuel Neuer has every confidence that he will succeed him as Bayern and Germanyās number one.
I think Manu breaking his fibia and tibia on that ski trip was a reminder to him (albeit a cruel and painful one), that he canāt play football, the game he loves more than anything, forever. At some stage, heāll have to pass on the torch to the next generation, and as with everything Manu does, in this he is remarkably precise. Take Alexander NĆ¼bel. On paper he seemed like the perfect replacement. He transferred from Schalke, same as Manu did. But they just didnāt click. I think, deep down, Manu wants to know that his years of experience mean somethingā¦that he can impart everything heās learned to someone whoās willing to listen. I donāt reckon he got that with NĆ¼bel. I also second what you said about him waiting for the right person to come along and wanting to make sure that Bayern will be in safe hands (literally). I think he wants to know that when he leaves, heās done everything he could to ensure the clubās future success. For him, the team matters above all else.
God, I miss Thomas at Bayern. Not that Manu hasnāt done a fantastic job captaining Bayern in his own right, but there was something about the way their leadership styles complimented one another, you know? We saw this especially with the class of ā95 (Serge, Jo, Leon, etc.). Thomas was, and still is, larger than life, keeping things light with his sense of humor when needed, but when things get a bit more serious, heās fantastic at helping his teammates get the best out of themselves. Manuās a bit more reserved by nature, but thereās something about the effect he has on his teammates. His very presence reassures themāguarantees safety. And much like with Thomas, his legend is not so large that his feet arenāt firmly on the ground. He knows when his teammates need him and he is always there for them. When he speaks, it matters. You canāt help but listen. I like to think Thomas looked after the outfield players so Manu could focus more on the goalkeepers (while juggling his duty as captain to them all). And even if Thomas is an absentee father out getting the milk right now (love that btw), I have a feeling that once heās retired from football, heāll find a way to help Bayern, the club of his heart, in some capacity. Regardless, the two have done a phenomenal job of ensuring the legend of Bayern will live on. Now, characters like Jo can carry on their work.
I donāt care that theyāre gone either; Thomas and Leon will always be a part of the Bayern family. Bayern is in their blood. And maybe Iām still a bit heartbroken because I had it in my head that Leon and Jo would be the next generationās iteration of Manu and Thomas, but thatās neither here nor there šš
Even though the position has evolved somewhat, the truth remains: goalkeeping is a lonely pursuit. By definition, you are different. In the eyes of many fans, you are misunderstood. You quite literally stand alone. I thinks thatās why the camaraderie amongst goalkeepersāeven those in the same club who are quite literally rivals vying for the positionāis so uniquely intimate and intense. Thereās a kinship there you donāt see in any other position, and Manu might be the greatest advocate of that. Much as the outfield players can depend on each other on the pitch, goalkeepers must seek the same companionship. I think thatās part of the reason why Manu and Ulle are so close, and why he has such a close bond with Jonas now. You put it so brilliantly: working at the fc bayern is crazy because you will be 22 with a 40 year old best friend like where mr. neuer at today? š Anon, how does it feel to be so funny and so right?
I get the sense that for Manu, itās not enough to have a close relationship as colleagues; he wants to have that same trust with his fellow goalkeepers personally. He doesnāt just want to be a mentor; he wants to be a friendāa trusted confidante. And when someone like Jonas comes along, someone with whom Manu has a great deal in common with. Things feel so natural. The friendship comes easily, effortlessly. How could it not, I suppose, when Jonas got his start in such a similar way, plays like him, and loves two of Manuās biggest interests, coffee and tennis, the same way he does? Kindred spirits feels like an understatement. Even before they met, even when Jonas was still scrolling through Manuās Instagram back in 2016, he mustāve felt it: like they were alike.
And I feel exactly the same wayā¦I canāt think of a time Iāve seen a footballer show this level of devotion to a colleague. I really do think he would do anything Manu tells him to do. Simply because itās himāthe Manuel Neuer, the player heās looked up to all his life. His hero. The idol he worships. I think thatās part of the reason Jonas reacted the way he did when asked about his relationship with Manu in this interview. He doesnāt see their relationship the way the media is trying to imply: like heās standing in Manuās shadow. To him, it feels like heās standing in his light. In Jonasā eyes, I imagine it still feels somewhat surreal. The greatest goalkeeper to ever do it is your mentor, your captain, your friend. He wants you to carry on his legacy. You, out of all others. You are special to him and he treasures your company, as well as who you are as a person. He loves the whole of you, not just the talent he is certain will succeed him.
Because calling up someone who wonāt officially be on the roster is so rare, it feels like youāre right: the DFB has set an interesting precedent. If he wants to, whoās to stop Manu from joining Jonas along for the ride? Perhaps he interprets his role as a mentor the same way Toni TapaloviÄ might have when he saw Manu rising up the ranks at Schalke, recognizing that he has a chance to nurture a once-in-a-generation talent. And when that talent is someone you have a close bond with, maybe it feels natural for Manu to accompany Jonas as he takes the next step towards his future, the same way Toni did for him when he joined Bayern. Iām pretty sure Manu has said in the past that he doesnāt really see himself as a goalkeeper coach, but I also know the faith he has in Jonasā talent. I wouldnāt be surprised if he wanted to continue nurturing that talent in any way he could and make sure that Jonas is well-prepared for the international stage. And frankly, Iād love to see it, because youāre right. It means that even though heāll be training hard (because we know Manu will guarantee that), heāll also have some really great down time. Knowing Manu and Jonas, I think youāve got it exactly right; theyāll be cycling and cafe-hopping all over Amsterdam!
I also think it feels full circle in a way; the circumstances are a bit different, sure, but heād be doing the very thing Toni TapaloviÄ did for him. Not only that, but he could help ensure Jonas is ready to handle the pressure that comes with international tournaments, and if that comes with a couple cups of coffee, then so be it :)
Will Manu come along? On that Iām a bit less sure, but I think it depends on two things: whether the DFB will allow it, and whether Manu has recovered from his World Cup heartbreak and coming to grips with his looming retirement enough to want to. I think the former is a possibility, but the latter? Weāll have to wait and see. Thatāll depend on Manu himself.
Since Iāve written basically a whole novel at this point, Iāll end with this: Manu said recently that he hopes people will remember him as a good goalkeeper. Well, if he ever doubts that in any way, Jonas will not hesitate to remind him. Through Jonasā eyes and through the way he plays, he can see the impact heās had on not just us fans, but an entire generation of goalkeepers who look up to him. Jonas will make sure he never forgets how much heās given to Bayern, to Germany, and to the world.
Anyways, enough rambling from me. Iāve gone on wayyy too long š
I hope I did your ask justice thoughš¤ it was such a delight to answer and Iām so grateful!!!
