“The man who stopped Brazil will always be a hero” - Oliver Kahn says Croatia star must play for top club after World Cup heroics
German legend Oliver Kahn recently spoke highly about Croatia's FIFA World Cup hero Dominik Livakovic. Vatreni's goalkeeper has been in inspiring form during the tournament in Qatar.
Liverkovic was the hero for Zlatko Dalic's team when they defeated Japan in the Round of 16 via penalties, as he saved three penalties.
The Dinamo Zagreb goalkeeper once again rose to the occasion when they faced Brazil in the quarter-finals. He stopped Rodrygo's penalty in the shootout, helping Croatia win the game to secure their semi-final spot.
🧤 Livakovic también ya se hizo amigo de la Al Hilm ⚽️🇭🇷 https://t.co/jY0bZTQlsG
Bayern Munich CEO Kahn believes Livakovic deserves a move to a top European club after his performance against the Selecaos. However, he denied that the Croatia goalkeeper is on Bayern Munich's shortlist. He siad (via 90min):
"The man who stopped Brazil will always be a hero to me, Livakovic is worthy of praise. Such a goalkeeper must play at a top club. I have no doubt that this will be the case in the new season, but at the same time, he is not within the scope of our interests."
Can Croatia star Dominik Livakovic be a worthy replacement for Manuel Neuer?
Germany and Manuel Neuer had a disastrous campaign during the 2022 FIFA World Cup in Qatar. The 2014 World Cup champions were knocked out in the group stages of the tournament on goal difference.
To make things worse, Neuer broke his leg while skiing after Germany's exit from the tournament in Qatar. The Bayern Munich legend is ruled out for the rest of the season.
Kahn said about Neuer:
"Manuel decided to take a little break from the tournament, He needed rest after such stress. Neuer is a big fan of alpine skiing and went to the slopes. I know that he was warned several times that there was very little snow, stones were sticking out everywhere and it was dangerous to ride, but Neuer never listens to anyone."
#FCBayern
Official: Manuel Neuer broke his leg while on holiday and also underwent surgery. His season is over. 🚨🔴 #FCBayern https://t.co/lDwtPXaJNs
Kahn stressed how big a loss Neuer's injury is for the club and stated that they will look for a replacement:
"As a result, rescuers removed him from the mountain, transported him by helicopter to the hospital where he underwent an operation. We've lost our goalkeeper before the end of the season. It's terrible because he is one of the best in the world. A very serious loss for the team."
He added:
"But we believe that the recovery will go well and his return too, but for now, we have to solve the problem of a replacement. But this is temporary. Manuel will be back."
Bayern Munich will need a replacement as a result and Croatia's FIFA World Cup hero Livakovic could certainly be an option for the Bavarians to consider.
The 27-year-old has played 262 games for Dinamo Zagreb, keeping 122 clean sheets.