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Manuel Neuer surpassed Lothar Matthäus’ feat, achieved against Portugal in the group stage of EURO 2000, when he was 39 years and 91 days old.
Germany’s Manuel Neuer
Germany’s historic outing in their FIFA World Cup 2026 opener against Curacao also saw Manuel Neuer enter the record books. The legendary Bayern Munich goalkeeper, who earned a shock recall despite having retired, became the oldest footballer to represent Germany at a major tournament.
Neuer is now the first to play for Germany in a major tournament after turning 40. He surpassed Lothar Matthäus’ feat, achieved against Portugal in the group stage of EURO 2000, when he was 39 years and 91 days old.
Sunday’s fixture marked Neuer’s first appearance for Germany in nearly two years. His previous outing came in the Euro 2024 quarter-final defeat to Spain, which was also his 124th international cap. He was brought out of international retirement by Julian Nagelsmann after playing a key role in Bayern Munich’s Bundesliga triumph and their run to the Champions League semi-finals last season.
Neuer had to nurse a calf injury in the buildup to the 2026 tournament and played no part in the 4-0 friendly win against Finland and the 2-0 victory against the USA.
Germany Crush Curacao 7-1
Germany crushed FIFA World Cup debutants Curacao 7-1 in their opening Group E match in Houston on Sunday.
An early German goal by Felix Nmecha was cancelled out by a deflected strike from Livano Comenencia which had the Curacao fans, known as the Blue Wave, out of their seats in Houston. However, Nico Schlotterbeck, Kai Havertz with a double, Jamal Musiala, Nathaniel Brown and Deniz Undav scored to put to bed any possibility of one of the greatest upsets in World Cup history.
The Germans will face stiffer tests against group rivals Ecuador and the Ivory Coast but the win against the tiny Caribbean nation puts them in a good position to progress to the knockout stages for the first time since 2014.
Neuer’s Outfit Causes A Stir
Neuer found himself at the centre of a kit controversy during Germany’s opening match against Curaçao. The veteran goalkeeper reportedly broke FIFA’s dress code rules after making changes to his goalkeeper shirt.
As reported by footyheadlines.com, Neuer had cut the sleeves off his jersey, which immediately drew attention and raised questions about whether the modification was allowed under FIFA regulations.
Neuer was also seen wearing a white undershirt underneath his goalkeeper jersey. This undershirt was visible and did not match the main colour of his goalkeeper kit.
According to FIFA’s official rules, any visible undergarment must be the same dominant colour as the shirt worn over it. In addition, the undershirt must not show any team logos, brand names, or decorative designs. Because Neuer’s undershirt did not meet these requirements, it appeared to be another breach of the rules.
At this stage, it is unclear whether FIFA will take any action against Neuer for these kit violations during the 2026 World Cup. Officials have not made any public statement on the matter.
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