Manuel Neuer targeted by X-rated chants from boyhood home crowd as Bayern issue furious response

Manuel Neuer returned to the club where he spent his entire childhood and much of his career on Saturday, but his homecoming was anything but peaceful.The Bayern Munich goalkeeper was met with relentless boos and whistles during the 0-0 draw at Schalke, with sections of the home crowd going even further as old resentment over his 2011 departure resurfaced.Neuer targeted throughout Bayern's goalless drawNeuer started between the posts as Bayern dominated possession at the Veltins-Arena, recording 15 shots and 83 per cent possession but failing to find a way past Schalke.Vincent Kompany's side also started without Harry Kane, who was named on the bench before replacing left-back Nathaniel Brown at half-time. The introductions of Michael Olise and Jamal Musiala early in the second half also failed to change the result.For Neuer, though, the attention was rarely on what was happening on the pitch.The 40-year-old was booed and whistled by Schalke supporters almost every time he touched the ball, while sections of the crowd directed X-rated chants towards their former goalkeeper.Neuer's connection with Schalke runs exceptionally deep.He joined the club's academy at the age of five, came through the youth ranks and spent more than two decades there before leaving for Bayern in 2011.Before establishing himself as Schalke's first-choice goalkeeper, Neuer even watched matches from the North Stand, where the club's ultras are based.His eventual move to Bayern caused considerable anger among Schalke supporters at the time.Schalke were firmly established in the Bundesliga and had qualified for the 2011/12 Europa League after winning the DFB-Pokal. They would go on to finish in the Champions League qualification places the following season.But the clubs have rarely had the chance to revisit that rivalry in recent years. Schalke have spent four of the past five seasons in the 2. Bundesliga, only returning to the top flight after winning the second-tier title last season.Their return brought Neuer back to Gelsenkirchen, and made clear that some supporters have not forgotten how he left.The abuse did not appear to affect him.Asked about the chants after the match, Neuer offered a surprisingly light-hearted response.“Those are compliments, that's love. Every boo, even when I touched the ball, was a compliment,” he told Sky.He later added: “It was nice to come back. I spent 20 years here, and I learned everything here. My family lives here. I really enjoyed it.”Bayern chief draws the line over Neuer abuseBayern sporting director Max Eberl took a very different view of the reaction.While he praised the vast majority of Schalke supporters, he was furious about the abuse directed at Neuer.“Schalke fans, 95 per cent, chapeau for what they have done,” Eberl said after the match.But he had little sympathy for those responsible for the offensive chants.“The other ... they should be proud that they produced such a great guy in their youth academy, who then made the breakthrough into world football, became the best goalkeeper in the world and a world champion.”Eberl's message was that Schalke supporters had every right to make their feelings known about Bayern.“Then such expletives are not acceptable. You can boo because you are against Bayern, but there is no need for those expressions.”He later reiterated the point, saying: “They should be proud that they developed such a great player in their academy, who then went on to take steps into world football and become the world's best goalkeeper and a world champion. Those kinds of insults are simply not appropriate.”There was also tension before kick-off.According to BILD, Bayern's ultras and Schalke supporters clashed in a car park before the match got underway, adding another layer to an already heated occasion.For Neuer, however, the evening ultimately remained a sentimental one despite everything directed towards him.He signed a new one-year contract with Bayern and has continued as their first-choice goalkeeper this season, but Saturday's trip to Schalke may have been his final appearance at the stadium where his career began.He did not allow the reception to overshadow that.“I played here for more than 20 years,” Neuer said. “It was a very emotional day and something very special.”The Schalke supporters may still regard his decision to join Bayern as a betrayal.Neuer, judging by his reaction, simply saw it as a very noisy homecoming.Get the latest Sports News and Live updates. Download the TOI app.