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Manuel Neuer becomes Germany’s oldest player at major tournament as NEUER meme token surfaces on Solana
The 40-year-old goalkeeper's fifth World Cup appearance breaks a 26-year record, while a namesake meme token rides the hype on Solana with zero official ties to the player
Manuel Neuer, the 40-year-old Bayern Munich goalkeeper, is heading to his fifth FIFA World Cup. In doing so, he becomes the oldest player ever to represent Germany at a major international tournament, surpassing a record that stood for over two decades.
The previous record holder was Lothar Matthäus, who was 39 when he suited up for Germany at Euro 2000. Neuer, born on March 27, 1986, edges past that mark by a full year. Meanwhile, a Solana-based meme token bearing his name has appeared in crypto markets.
From retirement to the starting lineup
Neuer stepped away from international duty after Euro 2024, having earned 124 caps as Germany’s most-capped goalkeeper.
On May 21, 2026, coach Julian Nagelsmann named Neuer to Germany’s 26-man World Cup squad and confirmed him as the starting goalkeeper for the opening match against Curaçao, scheduled for June 14, 2026.
Neuer debuted at the 2010 tournament in South Africa, then won the Golden Glove award at the 2014 World Cup in Brazil, the same tournament where Germany lifted the trophy. He returned for the 2018 and 2022 editions, making this upcoming appearance his fifth.
The NEUER token: predictable, unaffiliated, buyer beware
A Solana-based token called NEUER has surfaced in crypto markets, timed to capitalize on the goalkeeper’s return to the global stage. The NEUER token has absolutely no official connection to Manuel Neuer, the German Football Association, Bayern Munich, or FIFA.
Fan tokens associated with major football clubs, like those on the Chiliz platform, have shown that the intersection of sports fandom and crypto speculation can produce real trading activity. Established fan tokens typically have some form of club partnership or utility, like voting on minor team decisions. The NEUER token has none of that.
What this means for crypto investors
The 2026 World Cup, set to be the largest ever with 48 teams across the US, Mexico, and Canada, will generate an enormous volume of attention.
FIFA has experimented with blockchain technology in previous tournaments, and any official partnership announcement would likely overshadow meme tokens entirely, redirecting speculative capital toward tokens with actual institutional backing.