Manuel Neuer: Jens Lehmann was my idol
The Bavarian shot-stopper has revealed that he idolized former Schalke goalkeeper Jens Lehmann when he was growing up.
The German international has insisted that he has learnt a lot from Jens Lehmann, who played ten years for Schalke and admitted that he was surely an inspiration for him. Neuer was in Schalke’s youth system when Lehmann was the first choice goalkeeper at the club.
Neuer, who currently plays for Bayern Munich, hailed http://www.senore.com/Football-soccer/Arsenal-c38429 goalkeeper and admitted that he looked into Lehmann’s performances to learn.
The ‘Bundesliga Player of the Year’ for 2011 added that he also looked up to the likes of Edwin van der Sar and Oliver Kahn as both of them were the best in the business at that time. He insisted that he admired Kahn’s ambition and passion for the game and the way he carried himself in the 14 years he played for Bayern Munich.
“Given my background with Schalke, Jens Lehmann was my idol. He had the most modern goalkeeping style in http://www.senore.com/Football-soccer/Oliver-c28477 Kahn, because he was very ambitious and always hungry for success,” he was quoted as saying in an interview to Bayern Munich’s official website.
Neuer further added that he always keeps a winning mentality and wants to win every game he takes part in. He claimed that a goalkeeper should always think that things start from scratch after conceding a goal as it keeps the player in a positive frame of mind.
“It always starts again from scratch. It's a completely mental thing, and I keep reminding myself of that during matches. For me, losing is the worst thing of all,” he concluded.
http://www.senore.com/Football-soccer/Manuel-Neuer-c23424 has so far conceded only ten goals in his first 17 Bundesliga games at Bayern Munich. The player has settled well at his new club and has already put in some impressive showing in the UEFA Champions League.
Tags: