"Why doesn't one reduce Manuel Neuer's salary?" Stefan Kumberger asked on SPORT1, setting up a question Bayern München have not answered publicly. Jamal Musiala extended his contract in February 2025 until 2030, and only recently he was overtaken in terms of salary by Harry Kane.
The contrast around Neuer and Musiala
Kumberger's point is not that Manuel Neuer has been flawless or immune to injury. "He is also injured all the time. He is not being prodded by Uli Hoeneß," he said on SPORT1, in comments translated from German. That is the awkward part of this debate, because Musiala is the one being pushed into a public discussion about value.
The line from Kumberger goes further. "Uli Hoeneß is someone who thinks in terms of performance and was also hard on himself," he said, then added: "Grass does not grow faster when you pull on it." The message is aimed at the pressure around Jamal Musiala, not at giving Bayern a reason to rush the player back or reduce the noise around his contract.
The numbers behind the argument
Neuer has still played 5 Bundesliga matches this season and has also featured 3 times in the Champions League. His Bundesliga rating is 6.92, the same as Musiala's 6.92 in the league this season, which makes the different treatment harder to ignore.
Hoeneß's own history is part of the background here. SPORT1 says he had a strongly performance-based contract drawn up for himself in the 70s because of serious knee problems. That sits neatly beside the current debate, even if Bayern are not asking the same public questions of Neuer that Musiala is having levelled at him.
The practical point is simple enough. Musiala is under scrutiny over value and fitness, Neuer is not, and Bayern's next public line on the matter will shape how much longer that contrast lasts.
Written by Jack Mercer with AI-assisted research, cross-checked against 2 outlets. How we work →
