‘I do believe that this can be the last one’: Neuer hints at retirement after Bayern win

Posted on by Vividh Bharathi

Munich, Aug 23 (IANS) Bayern Munich goalkeeper Manuel Neuer has hinted that the 2026-27 season could be the final campaign of his illustrious career, admitting retirement is now a strong possibility.

Neuer made the comments after Bayern defeated Borussia Dortmund 2-1 in the German Super Cup. Asked whether it could be his final appearance in the competition, the 40-year-old Bayern captain replied, “Could be, could be.”

When asked whether he could call time on his career at the end of the season, Neuer suggested the possibility was becoming increasingly likely.

“Now is the time to enjoy everything once again. Then I’ll see how the season goes. But basically, I do believe that this can be the last one,” Neuer said as quoted by Goal.com.

The veteran goalkeeper had already indicated during Bayern’s pre-season training camp that he was unlikely to extend his contract beyond its current term, which runs until 2027.

Neuer, however, stressed that he does not want to approach individual matches with the mindset that they could be his last.

“I don’t play the matches to say: This is my last match now. But it does look very much like I’m retiring,” he said.

The former Germany international had previously admitted that he came close to retiring before deciding to continue with Bayern. He credited the current squad, coaching staff and the club’s continued ability to challenge for major honours for influencing that decision.

Neuer is now entering his 21st Bundesliga season and has set his sights on ending his career with another Champions League triumph.

Bayern have already begun planning for the post-Neuer era, with 23-year-old Jonas Urbig viewed as the long-term successor. The club has reportedly agreed on a rotation plan involving the two goalkeepers, allowing Urbig to gradually take on greater responsibility before eventually becoming Bayern’s first-choice goalkeeper.

Neuer joined Bayern in 2011 and has since established himself as one of the most decorated goalkeepers in football history, winning multiple Bundesliga titles and Champions League honours with the German giants.

–IANS

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Dr. Mandaviya announces Khelo India Para Games 2025, top Paralympians to compete

New Delhi, March 5 (IANS) Several international para athletes including Paris 2024 gold medallists, archer Harvinder Singh and club thrower Dharambir, will be seen in action at the upcoming Khelo India Para Games scheduled to be held here from March 20 to 27, said Union sports minister Dr. Mansukh Mandaviya.

This will be the second edition of the Khelo India Para Games. The first edition was also held in Delhi in December 2023.

In all, around 1230 para-athletes will compete in six disciplines in the upcoming KIPG 2025, many of them medallists from the 2024 Paris Paralympics and the 2022 Asian Para Games in Hangzhou, China.

Competitions in KIPG 2025 will be held in para archery, para-athletics, para-badminton, para powerlifting, para shooting, and para table tennis. In the first edition, football (cerebral palsy) was also played, the sports ministry informed in a release on Wednesday.

The Jawaharlal Nehru Stadium will host the para-athletics, para-archery, and para-powerlifting disciplines from March 21 to 26, while the IG Stadium complex will stage the para-badminton and para-table tennis events from March 20 to 27. Dr. Karni Singh Shooting Range will host the para-shooting events from March 21 to 25.

India had finished with a record 29 medals at Paris 202 including seven gold medals with 25 Khelo India athletes were part of the 84-member Indian contingent at the Paris Paralympics. Five of them returned with medals from Paris.

Para sport is a priority area for the government of India. No less than 52 para-athletes are in the Target Olympic Podium Scheme (TOPS) core group for the 2028 LA Olympics cycle.

“The phenomenal rise of our para-athletes is a huge inspiration to sportspersons at large. This ‘can do’ attitude is really motivating and I am sure we will see some great performances at the upcoming Khelo India Para Games,” Dr. Mandaviya.

In 2025, the Khelo India Para Games will be the second national event conducted by the Sports Authority of India (SAI) after the Khelo India Winter Games, the first part of which was held in Ladakh in January and the concluding portion scheduled in Gulmarg, Jammu & Kashmir from March 9 to 12.

Khelo India Para Games is part of the Khelo India mission to provide a platform for talented athletes to showcase their sporting and competitive skills. The first edition of the Khelo India Para Games, held in December 2023, was organised to enable para-athletes to showcase their talent at the national level.

The Games were played in seven sports disciplines across three venues in New Delhi. The second edition of KIPG, also to be held in the capital in March 2025, will be held in six sports.

–IANS

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4th Test: England might want to bat only once in this Test match, says Ponting

Manchester, July 25 (IANS) Former Australia captain Ricky Ponting believes England might only want to bat once in the ongoing fourth Test against India, citing the good batting conditions on offer for day three’s play at Old Trafford.

England ended day two’s play at 225/2 in 46 overs, after Ben Duckett and Zak Crawley shared a 94-run opening partnership. With Ollie Pope and Joe Root on task to reduce the deficit, the hosts are in sight of taking a big lead.

“England’s win percentage might now even be higher, thinking about these batting conditions today (in bright sunshine at Old Trafford). They definitely got the better of it yesterday; we saw just how much the conditions changed from the morning to the afternoon.”

“Batting conditions probably won’t get any better than they are right now and they’ve got two class players at the crease (in Pope and Root). England will have gone to bed last night thinking about the possibility of only batting once in this Test match.”

“They want to bat long and get a huge first-innings total. India need to find a way early to get back into this game with early wickets, otherwise this game is slipping away very quickly,” said Ponting on Sky Sports’ broadcast.

If Root goes past 19 and 20, he will leapfrog Rahul Dravid and Jacques Kallis to be in third place on the all-time leading run-scorers list in Tests. Root could potentially go past Ponting if he manages to get a score of 120 or more. “That could very well happen today (Root passing him on all-time run-scorers list). It’s a great day for batting. What a remarkable career it has been.”

“How he has transformed from someone who couldn’t kick on from a score past fifty into a hundred, whereas now it’s almost like every time he gets to that mark it’s a hundred – and a big hundred! What an amazing career to date, he’s still got some way to go – he’s only 35. Can he chase down Sachin? Let’s see… he might well do it,” added Ponting.

–IANS

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World Boxing Cup: Manish, Hitesh and Abhinash sail into SF with dominant wins

New Delhi, April 3 (IANS) Indian boxers Manish Rathore, Hitesh and Abhinash Jamwal showcased their title ambitions with commanding victories in the quarterfinals in their respective weight categories of the ongoing World Boxing Cup Brazil 2025 on Wednesday.

Jamwal tamed Germany’s Denis Bril with a unanimous decision in the 65kg category, while Hitesh defeated Italy’s Gabriele Guidi Rontani by an identical scoreline in the 70kg category.

In the 55kg category, Manish Rathore was up against Australia’s Paris Olympian Yusuf Chothia and the Indian national champion proved that he was well prepared for whatever his opponent threw at him.

Both the boxers kept things tight in all three rounds with Rathore emerging victorious as three judges ruled in his favour while two gave equal points to both.

In the semifinals, Rathore will face Nursultan Altynbek of Kazakhstan, Hitesh takes on Makan Traore while Jamwal plays Gianluigi Malanga of Italy.

Earlier, national champion Jadumani Singh Mandengbam overcame Ellis Trowbridge of Great Britain to reach the semifinals of the 50kg category on Wednesday.

Trowbridge, the 2024 World Boxing Cup Finals silver medallist, began the bout in his usual aggressive style, but the Indian was prepared to absorb the pressure and find ways to land his punches, earning a 3:2 split decision in his favour.

Jadumani will now face former Asian U-22 champion Asilbek Jalilov for a place in the final. However, India’s challenge in the 75kg, 85kg and 90+ kg categories came to an end after all three boxers went down fighting in their respective bouts.

Nikhil Dubey lost the 75kg bout 0:5 against local favourite Kaue Belini, while Jugnoo was at the wrong end of the 1:4 split decision against France’s Abdoulaye Traore in 85kg.

Narender came close to beating Kazakhstan’s Daniyal Saparbay, even getting a 30-27 verdict from one judge, but lost the 90+ kg bout on a 3:2 split decision.

–IANS

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