According to Sky Sport Germany, Neuer could captain Bayern in an away match against his hometown club, Schalke, for the last time.

Neuer has been looking forward to this football evening since May 2, when Schalke 04 finally returned to the Bundesliga after three years. "My Schalke!"

Now, 126 days later, everything is about to happen: the Veltins Arena is packed, the lights are on, and it's a Bundesliga clash. This emotional atmosphere excites Germany's record international goalkeeper. Neuer could, for the last time, captain Bayern at Gelsenkirchen against his beloved hometown club in this match.

It is also a special milestone in Neuer's farewell tour, which he has hinted at several times before the season began. Neuer said: "I'm really looking forward to the Veltins Arena. It's been a long time since I played there." He also added: "It's a dream, especially since this could well be my last season."

Will he be booed again?

The 40-year-old goalkeeper returns home as an opponent, of course. For the goalkeeper who transferred from Schalke to Bayern 15 years ago, boos from the Royal Blue fans seem inevitable. Neuer was born in Gelsenkirchen and started playing football at Schalke's youth academy at age five. He became a professional player in 2006.

Neuer recalled: "I grew up here. I played for Schalke for 20 years." This bond will last a lifetime. Although Neuer is now a Bayern legend and has settled with his growing family on the shores of Lake Tegernsee.

But he still keeps Schalke, known for its working-class spirit, in his heart and actively participates in charitable work in his hometown. Schalke's return to the Bundesliga is almost like a farewell gift for him in the final year of his illustrious career. Neuer said: "In my opinion, this club belongs in the Bundesliga."

Despite his deep feelings, Neuer naturally wants to leave Schalke's pitch as a winner after 90 minutes – which has been almost the norm throughout his 15 seasons at Bayern. On December 4, 2010, when Schalke celebrated their last Bundesliga victory against Bayern, Magath was still the manager, and Neuer was in goal. In that match, José Manuel Jurado's goal (1-0) was set up by a long pass from Neuer to striker Raúl. Kicker gave Neuer a perfect rating of 1 after the match.

This time, Neuer hopes to continue Bayern's impressive away start in his 600th official match for Bayern, following their 5-1 victory over Stuttgart on matchday one. On paper at least, Bayern remains the heavy favourite, especially after Schalke's 0-3 away defeat to Augsburg. Despite this, Bayern manager Kompany has warned: "Everything starts from zero."

Kompany said that as a player, he had played for Hamburg and Manchester City, and he also knows the special atmosphere of Gelsenkirchen: "Schalke can't be hungrier than we are. It's a great traditional rivalry."

For Neuer, the significance of this match is particularly important. In the DFB-Pokal away match against Osnabrück, Ulbrich replaced him in goal. Neuer, as the team's most experienced player, was able to rest well before returning to Schalke. Speaking about his current fitness, Neuer said: "I feel very good." Last season, he was affected by multiple injuries.

Continue playing or retire? Neuer had already answered this question by deciding to "play one more year" before his missed international return this summer. He still loves playing with this Bayern team and aspires to win the treble again, achieving this feat for the third time after 2013 and 2020.

Neuer said a few weeks ago during training camp on the shores of Lake Tegernsee: "I would probably choose to retire in 85% of cases. But it's really nice to work with this team, with the staff and coaching team. We always have a chance to compete for all the titles." He also said at the time: "It seems I will retire after the season."

However, during matches, Neuer probably doesn't think about whether this is "the last time" he takes to a particular pitch. But this time, returning to Schalke, he will probably think about it.

Traduit par IA.

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