Manuel Neuer laughs off Schalke abuse as ‘compliments’ on Bayern Munich return

Manuel Neuer described the abuse directed at him by Schalke supporters as “compliments” after returning to his former club during Bayern Munich’s goalless draw in the second round of the Bundesliga on Saturday.

The Bayern goalkeeper was subjected to whistles and insulting chants from the home fans at the VELTINS-Arena, including being called “son of a whore”. Asked whether he would have preferred more appreciation and applause from the Schalke supporters, Neuer responded with a sarcastic remark.

“These are compliments. This is love, that’s how I see it,” he said.

Neuer spent 20 years at Schalke before moving to Bayern Munich. He came through the club’s academy, established himself in the first team and remains closely linked to Gelsenkirchen, where his family still lives.

“It was nice to come back,” Neuer said. “I spent 20 years here and learned everything here. My family lives here. I really enjoyed it.”

The match ended without a goal, despite Bayern creating what Neuer described as several significant opportunities. He felt his side controlled most of the contest, although he acknowledged that their performance briefly dipped.

“We had 15 minutes when we were not in the best positions and did not play at the best speed, but I think we controlled the game, and all the statistics confirm that,” Neuer said.

“We were not effective and did not make the most of our big chances.”

Schalke goalkeeper Loris Karius was named player of the match after producing three important saves to keep Bayern from finding a way through.

“Loris deserved the man-of-the-match award. He made three really big saves,” Neuer said.

The result leaves Bayern assessing their start to the Bundesliga season after two rounds, but Neuer said it was too early to attach too much importance to the league table.

Bayern will turn their attention to the Champions League next week, when they face Norwegian side Bodo/Glimt. They will then travel to face Elversberg in what Neuer expects to be a difficult away fixture.

“We do not really need to look at the table after two matches,” he said. “We have a Champions League game next week against Bodo/Glimt, and we want to win and make a good start. After that, we have a difficult away match at Elversberg. We take each game as it comes.”