Gelsenkirchen's "Schalke" forward Klaas-Jan Huntelaar compared Manuel Neuer to Franz Beckenbauer and said that during the Ballon d'Or Golden Ball awards, he supported the Munich "Bayern" goalkeeper.
The star of the German national team received a lot of support in the race for the Ballon d'Or from well-known figures. Among them - UEFA President Michel Platini.
This summer, Neuer triumphed in the World Cup with his national team, but for the fans, what was most memorable was not the titles, but his footwork, especially outside the penalty area. The goalkeeper demonstrated this by wearing both Germany's and club jerseys.
"It's strange, because usually the goalkeeper in the team is a lone wolf," - Huntelaar told Bundesliga.com.
"Nevertheless, they are very important and 'Manu' demonstrated excellently how much benefit he brought to his teammates. During the World Cup, he was practically an outfield player. He was the team's Beckenbauer."
"His performance helped Germany go very far in the summer, so I completely envy him for [the title of] the best footballer in the world. You can have a great time with him, he is a great guy. I hope he wins, even though the other competitors are very strong. We will see when the time comes."
