Rekordmeister’s Top 25 Players of the Season 2011-2012 

#14. Manuel Neuer’s Boot Allegiance

Though the may be pushed on by sponsors, boots say a lot about a player. Thomas Müller received a pair for Adidas the color of the Bavarian flag with his wife’s name stitched on the side. Bastian Schweinsteiger has the German flag and his girlfriend’s name stitched on the side. But what about Manuel Neuer? Aside from the name Wuppie stitched on the side, there’s not much more to look at - BUT WAIT A MINUTE. Whether this was Adidas’ fault or not, Manuel Neuer changed his boots just about every month during the season. We here at Rekordmeister like to see the color of Manu’s boots as a symbol of his allegiance. He began the season with blue shoes, something even Bastian Schweinsteiger pointed out. He then graduated to a white shoe with purple accents, something we saw as a blending of Schalke Blue and Bayern red. Then came a black and orange shoe, just in time for Halloween. Neuer ended the season with a boot that very closely resembles Bastian Schweinsteiger’s own. With these boots, I think it’s safe to say Neuer has embraced being Bavarian.