Manuel Neuer replaces Philippe Lahm as Bayern Munich captain

World Cup-winner Neuer has been Germany's captain since Bastian Schweinsteiger made his final international appearance last August.

Manuel Neuer is now at Bayern Munich and is regarded one of, if not the, best goalkeeper in the world. Alex Grimm / Getty Images
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Germany goalkeeper and captain Manuel Neuer will replace Philipp Lahm as Bayern Munich's leader for next season, the Bundesliga champions' chairman Karl-Heinz Rummenigge has confirmed.

"Our No 1 is the No 1 [choice] - Manuel Neuer," Rummenigge told Munich daily newspaper TZ. "He is an established professional, who will take the armband from Philipp Lahm.

"He has developed really well with the national team - not only on, but also off the pitch."

World Cup-winner Neuer has been Germany's captain since Bastian Schweinsteiger made his final international appearance last August.

Neuer, 31, steps in to captain Bayern after Lahm retired from all football in May after 22 years with the Bavarian giants.

Neuer has sat out Bayern's tour of China and Singapore to recover from a foot surgery, but he is expected to be back for the German giants when the new Bundesliga season kicks off on August 18.

Bayern will be hunting a sixth straight German league title in 2017/18.

Having signed for Bayern in 2011, Neuer will become the fourth goalkeeper to captain the side after Oliver Kahn, Raimond Aumann and Sepp Maier.

In Neuer's absence, Thomas Muller is captaining Bayern on their tour of China, where they lost 3-2 to Arsenal on penalties in a friendly after a 1-1 draw in Shanghai on Wednesday.

A header by Arsenal's Nigeria striker Alex Iwobi deep into added time cancelled out Robert Lewandowski's early penalty for Bayern before Arsenal won the spot-kick shootout.

Pictures from the game