Jonas Urbig, the 22-year-old successor to Manuel Neuer, discusses his latest successful Bundesliga appearance.

Harry Kane, the England national team captain, wasn’t the only player rotated out ahead of Bayern Munich’s latest Bundesliga victory. Bayern back-up keeper Jonas Urbig surprisingly received his second Bundesliga start of the season. The 22-year-old successor to German footballing legend Manuel Neuer managed to secure his second clean sheet in as many appearances.

Urbig hasn’t played nearly as much as he did last season, when Neuer's injury led to eight Bundesliga and four Champions League appearances after the start of 2025. Nonetheless, Bayern Munich head coach Vincent Kompany has kept Urbig in his plans.

Following his last league start against Borussia Mönchengladbach on matchday eight, Kompany decided to give Urbig back-to-back starts against his former club 1. FC Köln in the Pokal. Urbig emerged victorious against his former academy side, signaling that everything is progressing as planned for the developmental prospect. In a statement made in the mixed zone, Urbig expressed his confidence in the team's preparation.

“I found out I would start at 11 o’clock this morning,” Urbig shared. “I’m always prepared in case something happens. If something had happened to me today, Manuel would have been ready. That’s how we prepare ourselves as a joint goalkeeping team, so that anyone can step in.“

GGFN | Peter Weis