As we have pointed out in two previous articles, Bayern Munich have a long history of success, both on and off the field. We first focused on the five greatest goal-scorers for the Bavarian giants. We then looked into two former players who have led the administrative side of Bayern for decades.
This time, we will tell the story of the three goalkeepers in the club’s rich history who helped the team win top European honours: Sepp Maier, Oliver Kahn, and current shot-stopper Manuel Neuer. In Meier’s case, it was the European Champions Cup, while in the case of the other two, it was the UEFA Champions League. This will not be an attempt to rate this great trio – we will list them chronologically instead.
The Three Great Bayern Munich Goalkeepers
Bayern Munich: Sepp Maier
The era between the team’s 1965 Bundesliga promotion and its three successive European crowns ending in 1976 is widely considered the club’s Golden Age. Maier was a vital part of that team. According to his Transfermarkt profile, he was a “one club man” from the time he broke into the first team in the summer of 1962 to his retirement in December 1980.
He made a staggering 706 competitive appearances for the club. In that time, Maier helped his team gain promotion to the Bundesliga and to win three consecutive European Champions Cups. He also helped his team win four German top-flight trophies, four German Cups, the 1967 European Cup Winner’s Cup and the 1976 Intercontinental Cup.
Later on, he became the goalkeeping coach for the next legendary Bayern Munich goalkeeper.
Oliver Kahn
Kahn joined Bayern Munich from Karlsruher SC in the summer of 1994. He stayed there until the end of his remarkable career. He made 632 appearances for Bayern. With him in goal, the team won the 2001 UEFA Champions League trophy, to which he contributed by saving no less than three penalties in the shootout to decide the final against Valencia. Beyond that, the Bavarian giants won eight Bundesliga titles, six German Cups, six German League Cups, the 1996 UEFA Cup, and the 2001 Intercontinental Cup with him between the sticks. He was the German footballer of the year twice and won the award for the world’s best keeper on three occasions.
Due to his success as a Bayern Munich goalkeeper, the club chose him to become CEO when Karl-Heinz Rummenigge stepped down in the summer of 2021. Khan’s erratic nature and ambition to quickly remake the board in his own image proved his undoing, thus leading to his departure only two years later.
Manuel Neuer
After the club failed to sign a world-class replacement as Bayern Munich goalkeeper after Kahn’s 2008 retirement, they decided to bring in Neuer from Schalke in the summer of 2011. Since then, he has made 495 appearances for the Bavarians. He has helped them win 11 consecutive Bundesliga titles, five German Cups, seven German Super Cups, two UEFA Super Cups, two FIFA Club World Cups and the UEFA Champions League titles of 2013 and 2020.
Neuer was the German footballer of the year twice, and won the World goalkeeper of the year award a staggering five times, and was described as an “insane professional.” Regardless of what happens in the final years of his career, his legacy will have been the way he revolutionised his position as a keeper who participates in the build-up and is good with his feet.
Final Thoughts
The Bavarian giants have had many top players play for them, including plenty of great goalkeepers. Nonetheless, Maier, Kahn, and Neuer clearly stand out. Not just because they took the team to the pinnacle of European football – but also because of their longevity at the club and their unique personalities.
