Neuer: I have arrived as a leading player

Germany goalkeeper Manuel Neuer has claimed that he has ‘arrived’ as a ‘leading player’ for club and country.

The former Schalke man is the undisputed number one for Bayern Munich and the national side, and believes he has become a commanding presence between the posts.

“I have arrived as a leading player. On the pitch I conduct and organise, I’m loud,” he told Kicker magazine.

The 26-year-old arrived at the Allianz Arena in 2011, but supporters of the Bavarians were initially against him joining the club following his allegiance with one of their fiercest rivals.

But he has since helped Bayern into a commanding 15-point lead at the top of the Bundesliga this season and played a starring role in the club’s route to the quarter-finals of the Champions League, with Neuer happy with his progress.

“I took responsibility in Munich from the beginning. But I could not walk in with splayed elbows into the club and say: ‘here comes the Schalke captain’,” he said.