If you look at the history of Manchester United, they are always a big side, so there is no time of underestimating them.
— Manuel Neuer
As a goalkeeper, I talk a lot to my fellow players on and off the pitch.
Some young players think that they want to be like Manuel Neuer.
Sometimes you can say it is boring being in goal, but what is important is I am in communication with the defence.
As for being the best goalkeeper in the world, it's been written occasionally, but I'd never say it myself.
As a keeper, you can't be afraid.
The coach put me in goal, and back then, we were playing on bone-hard ground: red ash; we even trained on black ash, which was worse. That's not easy for a goalkeeper. My mother was always taking out her sewing kit for the countless holes in my training pants. For a long time, I had to buy my own gear.
One of the great things about being a professional football player is visiting countries and seeing cultures you might never see.
I got my first football when I was two and played my first proper game before I was five. So nothing else was ever an option!
To be a modern goalkeeper, I have to think offensively, to initiate our attacking moves safely and securely.
In life, I'm a guy who likes to drive a car quite fast, but I wear a seat belt at the same time.
We know from experience that anything can happen in games against strong opponents; nuances can make the difference.
I love to compete with the very best. That's why I feel great at FC Bayern.
I think I am capable of captaincy.
In the past, goalies weren't even part of the team. They had their own dressing room. They didn't speak with the other team members. They were lone warriors.
What's mostly left after a match? The scenes in front of the goal where the attackers are the highlights of the play. But doing the spectacular is not particularly important to me. I just want to play for my team.
Winning the treble was confirmation for me that joining Bayern rather than moving abroad was the right decision.
The Bundesliga is a lucrative league, and in Germany, the best club is Bayern, and I wanted to play for the best club in Germany.
It's difficult when you don't take part in team training and have to train alone.
For me, it's more important to win a team award, like a World Cup.
Personal success means nothing if it isn't aligned with the success of the team. I consider myself to be a team player more than anything else.
The calmness and confidence I take into matches has an effect not only on our rivals but also on my team-mates, who are counting on me.
I have always been interested in finding new ways to play and have looked at handball keepers and ice hockey goal-minders. It helps me.
I used to cry when I let in a goal. I always thought I was to blame because I was the last man.
Food is a passion for me, especially Italian cuisine. I prefer to have somebody cook for me, but I can do some very nice pasta dishes.
Bayern are a club where success is demanded, and second place isn't particularly appreciated. We have a history and culture to respect.
In Germany, Jens Lehmann was a model style for a German goalkeeper.
As a goalkeeper, you like to be called upon.
As players at Bayern, we're not interested in any boredom - we're interested in picking up three points each game.
I am someone who takes a lot of time before making a decision and then has to be fully behind it.
It's easier to fine tune in club football, and you have the chance to win the Champions League every year.
Nervenstarke means that no matter the situation, I have to show my teammates that I remain prepared and confident and there for them. They have to feel my Nervenstarke.
With Bayern, we want a lot of ball possession and to control the play, so I operate sometimes like the 11th outfield player. Thus I am included a lot into the build-up play and have a lot of touches of the ball.
You can plan, but what happens on a football field cannot be predicted.
At Bayern, I was used to coming out of my box to try and clear up dangerous situations. The World Cup was just another platform, so it gave other people the chance to see me who don't watch German football.
I'm the 11th field player.
The goalkeeper always starts again at nil, even when you're 2-0 down. It always starts again at scratch. It's a completely mental thing, and I keep reminding myself of it during matches.
For me, the main thing is that I continually improve my game and make sure I keep setting the bar high.
It's a great thing to play a final in your capital city.
A keeper has to adjust his game to the team. If the team moves further up, he has to do the same. It's nothing I've invented.
A fit player has good and bad times during a season, and you have that in rehab, too.
I have three goalkeepers who really inspired me. Jens Lehmann was my idol because he played for Schalke and was really progressive in the way he developed the position in Germany. I also have a lot of respect for all that Oliver Kahn achieved with the national team. Outside Germany, I would add that Edwin van der Sar was a big role model.
I have a good record in shoot-outs. In such moments, I'm always confident of making at least a couple of stops; I always feel the taker is under more strain. Worrying is the kicker's job, as he's expected to score, while I have nothing to lose.
If I think I will get the ball, I go out. I can't stop halfway because the goal is empty and the player would have the opportunity to shoot. You make the reaction, and then, of course, you have to be sure to get the ball. But it's years of practice. You can't say from one day to the other, 'Now I will do it,' you know? You have to feel it.
I consider that part of my job as a pro: to know who you're up against and how the attacking players play, what kind of characteristics they have, their qualities, how they move, their preferred foot.
I am always motivated.
FC Bayern are only my second club.
It's more difficult to achieve something with the national team because players from several clubs get together and less frequently.
You cannot compare warm-ups with World Cup games.
I know that I often take risks, but it is always for the purposes of the team.
