WM 2026: Mega-Nachricht! "Damit könnte die Prophezeiung von Nagelsmann tatsächlich wahr werden!"

2026 World Cup: "Manuel Neuer's return is exciting!" The number one goalkeeper is finally back! On their arrival day in Winston-Salem, the German national team stars showed their approachability. 3,000 spectators attended the first training session. The most important sporting news: Manuel Neuer is fully involved in goalkeeping. It was just a light training session for the soccer fans in Winston-Salem – but one with strong signals. Six days before the World Cup opener against Curaçao, Manuel Neuer finally joined the team training. That was the most significant sporting news. All the other players also participated in the 45-minute session – another positive development for national coach Julian Nagelsmann after the injury to Lennart Karl, for whom Leipzig's replacement Assan Ouédraogo made his first appearance. Nagelsmann was primarily observed engrossed in a nearly half-hour one-on-one conversation with captain Joshua Kimmich at the W. Dennie Spry Stadium. This conversation continued even after all the other players had left the pitch and the 3,000 fans, young and old, behind the stands were busy signing autographs and taking selfies. The message behind Nagelsmann's long conversation with Kimmich The 31-year-old Kimmich, who is captaining the national team for the first time in his third World Cup appearance, is the head coach's primary contact. What did the two have to discuss at length? Tactical matters? The team's morale? The weather? The unique features of the team hotel? Or something else entirely? The conversation certainly seemed very intimate. There was even some laughter. And a message was conveyed – consciously or unconsciously: Kimmich, with 110 caps for the national team, is at the very top of the hierarchy. Even though the highly decorated veteran and former captain Manuel Neuer, at 40, has returned to the German national team to turn back the clock at his fifth World Cup tournament, the ever-present Neuer is expected to become the X-factor once again, twelve years after winning the title in Brazil. Twenty-three days after suffering another injury to his troublesome left calf on the last Bundesliga matchday, the Bayern captain finally joined team training after arriving at the World Cup camp. This was exactly as Nagelsmann had announced after the 2-1 victory in the final friendly against the USA. Nagelsmann: "Manuel has an aura about him." Neuer completed all the drills without any problems alongside his fellow goalkeepers Oliver Baumann, Alexander Nübel, and Jonas Urbig. He dove to the ground to the left and right to make saves. He caught balls in the air. And he even took several powerful shots with his left foot at the goal, where his backup goalkeeper Baumann, relegated to the number two spot, was standing. Neuer's return to the national team after two years without playing for the national team, and with some new defenders in front of him, seems within reach on Sunday (7 p.m. CET/ARD and Magenta TV) in Houston. Nagelsmann sees no risk in the comeback; he's counting on the Neuer mystique. "Manuel has an aura about him. He's experienced everything." Is it too late to get used to playing with the defense? Is his age a (regardless of injury) risk? No, the national coach dismisses such concerns. "If I had a goalkeeper who was 22 years old, I'd have bigger problems with the situation. But Manuel has already played so many games and had so many experiences in training. He doesn't need many friendlies to find his rhythm," the 38-year-old explained. World Cup debutants Curaçao are expected to be an ideal warm-up opponent for Neuer. Before that, however, his left calf, which has already been injured three times this year, still needs to withstand some tough tests. On their arrival day in Winston-Salem, the German soccer stars, including Neuer, were primarily focused on presenting themselves in an approachable manner at their only public training session. After landing at Smith Reynolds Airport around noon (local time), Nagelsmann and his players took a short bus ride and, to loud cheers, walked through a guard of honor formed by staff into the team hotel. Signs read "Good luck" and "Come on Germany!" Cheerleaders with black, red, and gold pom-poms created a typically American scene. Neuer filmed the welcoming ceremony with his mobile phone, clearly delighted. #new #worldcup2026 #germany #dfb #worldsport WELT News Channel    / weltvideotv   WELT Documentary Channel    / weltdoku   WELT Podcast Channel    / weltpodcast   WELT Network Reporter Channel    / dienetzreporter   The WELT News Livestream http://bit.ly/2fwuMPg The Top News on WELT.de http://bit.ly/2rQQD9Q The Media Library on WELT.de http://bit.ly/2Iydxv8 WELT News Channel on Instagram   / welt.nachrichtensender   WELT on Instagram   / welt   Video created in 2025