Manuel Neuer has been in the news recently, but not for footballing reasons

A Munich taxi driver, known only as ‘Hazir S.’, has expressed his displeasure with the Bayern Munich goalkeeper. As reported, Neuer left his wallet in the driver’s vehicle with around 800 euros in cash and several credit cards.

The driver went to return it to his home, but ‘only’ received a shirt from the player in return

Manuel Neuer has been in the news recently, but not for footballing reasons, and opinion on the reason for his presence in the headlines has been divided. A Munich taxi driver, known only as ‘Hazir S.’, has expressed his displeasure with the Bayern Munich goalkeeper. As reported, Neuer left his wallet in the driver’s vehicle with around 800 euros in cash and several credit cards. The driver went to return it to his home but ‘only’ received a shirt from the player in return. It all started at Odeonsplatz, a central square in Munich, where the taxi driver picked up Neuer and a friend for a ride. “I recognised him immediately, but I didn’t approach him,” said the driver, Hazir. Everything usually went until he found the Bayern Munich captain’s wallet while cleaning the vehicle.

According to Hazir, the reward is a mockery

The wallet contained Manuel Neuer’s personal documents, about 800 euros in cash and two credit cards. When his shift was over, the taxi driver drove to the flat where he last saw him but got no answer. Nor did he find him at his personal home, the address of which he checked with the goalkeeper’s ID card. Finally, he could hand the wallet to Neuer’s manager, who collected his contact details. The taxi driver claims to have travelled about 120 kilometres to return the wallet. His disappointment came when he got his reward. Two weeks later, he received a Bayern Munich shirt with Neuer’s name on the back but no dedication or thank-you note. “The reward is a mockery. I have four children,” the driver said.

The taxi driver’s complaints are reasonable. According to Bild, a German tabloid, he would’ve earned around 400 euros for the 120 kilometres he drove in search of Neuer, and by law, he would have been entitled to 34 euros for returning a wallet with that amount of money. Still, criticism has been mounting over the Bayern and Germany goalkeeper’s stinginess. Neuer is set to receive a fixed salary of 18 million euros next season.