Neuer turns hostile Schalke welcome into a joke after Bayern Munich stalemate

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 crowd at Schalke’s stadium, including being called a “son of a whore”. However, Neuer responded with humour when asked whether he would have preferred a warmer reception, with more appreciation and applause from the supporters.

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

Neuer spent 20 years at Schalke before moving on, and said returning to Gelsenkirchen remained a meaningful occasion despite the hostile nature of the reception.

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

The 39-year-old goalkeeper came through Schalke’s system and established himself at the club before going on to become Bayern’s long-term number one. His return brought an extra layer of attention to a match in which neither side managed to find the breakthrough.

Neuer said Bayern had controlled much of the contest but accepted that they had failed to make their opportunities count. He identified a 15-minute spell in which his side were not positioned correctly and did not play at the required pace.

“We had 15 minutes when we were not in the best positions or playing at the best speed, but I think we controlled the match 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 played a decisive role in ensuring Bayern were held to a point. Neuer praised his opposite number after the match, saying Karius deserved recognition for preventing Bayern from scoring.

“Loris deserved the player of the match award. He saved three very big chances,” Neuer added.

The draw leaves Bayern assessing their opening two Bundesliga matches, although Neuer said it was too early to place too much importance on the league table.

Bayern are due to face Norwegian side Bodø/Glimt in the Champions League next week, when Neuer said the team would be focused on making a positive start in Europe. They will then travel to face Elversberg in a difficult away fixture.

“We don’t really need to look at the table after two matches. We have a Champions League game next week against Bodø/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,” he said.