Is David Raya the Best in the World? Manuel Neuer Defies Time, and Antoine Griezmann’s Atlético Farewell: European Nights 04/14/26

0:00You're listening to the Men in Blazers Media Network, Suboptimal Radio. The back nine of these Champions League quarterfinals. So many borderline extra-central questions were all like, is David Raya the best goalkeeper in the world? No. Anton Griezmann, age 35, on his way to Orlando City. Will this be the year he finally wins a major trophy of Atletico? No. Slash maybe? Slash maybe. And our Aston Villa about to become the first ever team to beat Bologna coach, Vincenzo Italiano, in a two-legged knockout in Europe. Yes, they are. Oh, Vincenzo Italiano, an Italian man almost stereotypically offensively named.

0:40What's the American equivalent of Vincenzo Italiano? Is it Hank Texas rule? Or is it Hannah Montana? It is. Correct. Hannah Montana. Are you ready for some football? For football? It's Rog, Doll English, Stereotype. It's Rory. Oh, Gaelic man of wonder. It's European Knights. Caught a final second leg of your Champions League, Europa League, and of course, Conference League. Story of the first legs last Tuesday was the goalkeepers. Two number ones, player of the match awards, two electric performances in the net. David Reyes' fingertips, as good as getting Arsenal on the score sheet. In their 1-0 blanking of Sporting Club and Bayern Munich's Manuel Neuer rolling back the years, the decades really, parting like it's 2012 again.

1:34God, I wish it was in many ways. In Bayern's 2-1 away win at Real Madrid. Want to give huge thanks to Bank of America, official Bank of US Soccer and the FIFA World Cup 2026 for supporting the men in blazers media network. Discover what's possible in sports and in life. What would you like the power to do? Raw, I spoke to Houston rocket legend Hakeem the Dreamer, Joanne, stay here with me. A former goalkeeper, not many people know that, in Nigeria, ultimately became the all-time record blocks leader in the NBA. I asked Hakeem, this gorgeous man, most people chase the joy, the euphoria of a goal.

2:12What motivates a person to dedicate their lives to thwarting that joy, Raw? because goalkeepers, they're really a special breed. They are, and they will all tell you they're a special breed. That's the one fascinating thing about goalkeepers, is they love to perpetuate that stereotype that they are deeply weird. They are slightly more solitary creatures. They're very happy in their own company. They take pleasure in destruction rather than creativity. I think they are also people who thrive on responsibility. Having spoken to quite a lot of recently retired goalkeepers, as well as a few current ones, the one thing that they kind of share is that it's a really kind of high-pressure position.

2:54Everything you do could be catastrophic if you make a mistake. You have to get everything right. And the minute you get something wrong, you are the laughingstock. Antonin Kinski in the Spurs game against Atletico Madrid last month kind of proved that, that he had a bad 10 minutes. It's perfectly possible for a striker or a midfielder or a defender to have a bad 10 minutes. If a goalkeeper has a bad 10 minutes, they are removed immediately by their heartless poke. And I think that to be a successful goalkeeper, to be a goalkeeper of the level that we see in the Champions League, you need the reflexes, the reactions, the discipline, the diligence, all that stuff.

3:29But mainly you need an ability to not notice that pressure or at least to tolerate that pressure and also a desire to take responsibility, to thrive on the fact that you are the last line of defence, that it is all on you. and that I think does make them a slightly separate breed of footballer. Yeah, it's amazing when you say the word Kinski, even though he's proven since that he's both resilient and quite a bloody good goalkeeper. When you say that name, it's almost like their names, when they fail, become akin to towns where something very, very bad happens in history. Like Kinski, you just utterly, utterly quake at the very name.

4:04Let's start with Raya. In the first two losses for Arsenal in this awful three-game trauma, Kepa was in goal. Let's just say watching him in the Carabao final and then in the FA Cup shock, you kind of saw the difference between a good goalkeeper and a great one. And then in this first leg, Raya was truly, truly remarkable. Some of the saves he made against Sporting were transcendent. It constantly makes the truly humanly remarkable look absolutely routine. There's something about him. A lot of the goalkeepers now, Jordan Pickford-esque in their reaction, He barely cracks a smile, which makes it seem all the more astounding.

4:42You don't even see his fingernails scratch the ball off frame until the slow motion replay. The BBC quickly published an article entitled, Who is the best goalkeeper in the world? They listed Raya first, Roar. We had reclusive Brentford owner Matthew Benham on the show recently for a fascinating interview. And Benham has upended how football clubs operate, but he rarely speaks publicly. he talked about how he had to be convinced to sign David Raya originally from Blackburn for about 4 million back in 2019, spoke thusly. I personally sort of came back and I was like, no, we shouldn't sign this guy.

5:14And obviously now I'd say he's potentially the best keeper in the world. At the time, I was fixated about having a keeper who could absolutely dominate like aerially because we were pretty weak on crosses. And the person who was pushing that most of all was our goalkeeping coach Inyaki Kanya, who's now Arsenal. And he was like adamant about Raya, who was at Blackburn at the time. He was absolutely adamant, you know, this is going to be a world-class keeper. It's easy to admit you're wrong when Benham and Brentford later flipped Raya to Arsenal for 10 times the price, 40 million. But Raw, is Raya still underestimated in 2026?

5:44He is maybe a bit underestimated, yeah. I think I was really sceptical when Arsenal signed him. I'd seen him at Brentford and thought he was good. I didn't think he was outstanding. I didn't really think he was a massive upgrade on Aaron Ramsdale, who was there before. Better with his feet, I could acknowledge that, but didn't see him being a sort of vastly superior goalkeeper. and when they signed Kepa from Chelsea I think I may even have said publicly Rog, that I thought Kepa might take Raya's place, because Kepa was at one point the most expensive goalkeeper in the world, when he was at Athletic Bilbao, he was regarded as potential future Spain number one, world class prospect, all this stuff and Raya's seen them both off, and I think what that is testament to is one how little I know, but two, that Raya has kept developing, which I realise makes it sound like I am saying I was right, I'm not I'm admitting defeat.

6:31He has really grown in his time at Arsenal to the extent that now he kind of suffuses that defence with confidence. And I think to an extent, we have to remember that, that those three positions, goalkeeper and two central defenders, people will tell you that it's not so much just the individuals who form them, it's the connections they build. And Raya, Gabriel and Saliba between them, I think have, are without question, the strongest kind of defensive unit in the Premier League. possibly the strongest in Europe to be perfectly honest and that has enabled all of them to kind of kick on and reach another level of ability and I think it's that that really elevates Raya I still wouldn't say he's the best goalkeeper in the world I think that's pushing it a bit but he is far far better than I thought he was when they first signed him Let's dig a little deeper because Raya has won the Golden Glove Award last two seasons running his numbers are pristine 22 clean sheets in 42 appearances all comps this season utterly clear of any other human being.

7:2890 % save rate in the Champions League. Best of any goalkeeper left in the competition. He's let in just 12 goals across 23 European games in the last two seasons. It was a really fascinating moment during the international break. Spain manager Luis De La Fuente was asked about his goalkeeping choices where Raya can't get a game off Atletico Bilbao's Unai Simon. And De La Fuente said, quote, in England, they consider him the best goalkeeper in the world. and here nobody talks about him. To be fair, Roar, I think La Fuente meant it almost as a positive, as in maybe people should be talking about David Ryan more here.

8:05But when it comes sandwiched in between comments about how Simon isn't getting benched anytime soon, you can maybe see why Kai Havertz dubbed Ryan underappreciated. Ryan is 30, which is entering the prime for goalkeepers. How is he still somehow underappreciated? How do you understand that dynamic? And why won't he start in the World Cup this summer? Well, I wonder whether De La Fuente's logic is actually kind of self-explanatory that Raya had a career under the radar, particularly from a Spanish context, that he didn't play for one of the big two. He didn't spend five seasons as a leading light in La Liga.

8:40He kind of went round the houses. He came to an extent kind of through the shadows, as you say, from Blackburn to Brentford and on to Arsenal. And I think we forget that as much as the Premier League is a global obsession, as much as it's by far the most high-profile league in the world, that each of these countries has its own kind of football culture that has its own conversations going on, its own kind of factions, its own loyalties, its own interests, its own beliefs. And so just as with Brazil, say, where Igor Thiago, who's had this wonderful season at Brentford, made his debut over the last international break for Brazil, but he's taken a long time to get international recognition because there's no one to lobby for him in Brazil because he spent his career, he spent most of his career outside Brazil.

9:21And even when he was there back in the early days, he wasn't playing for Flamengo or Palmeiras or one of the Brazilian giants. He was a little-known striker for a smaller team who moved to Bulgaria, then to Belgium and on to England. And it's only now that he's kind of getting that recognition because he's playing in the Premier League. Raya's the same. Blackburn, Brentford, doing well there will not attract international attention. and you do have competition from players who are like Unai Simon at a much more high-profile club. Athletic Bilbao are a huge club in Spain. He's been the best Spanish goalkeeper in La Liga for quite a long time.

9:55You have Joan Garcia, who's come from Espanyol and gone to Barcelona. That means there's a whole load of people saying Joan Garcia should be our international goalkeeper. Raya doesn't have that contingent. He's never had that much spotlight, that much attention, which means that he's easier to overlook for a national team coach. So that question of who is the best goalkeeper in the world, when you look at the last 15 years or so, feels longer. The answer, I think, is most often Manuel Neuer, fearless German goalkeeper, made his professional debut. This is incredible. Back in April 2004, two months after the iPod Mini came out.

10:32I think he remembers that. And the Facebook went live around that time. Since then, just scattered across. Maybe is it 12 Bundesliga titles, two Champions League and one World Cup? In many ways, Neuer changed football forever, pioneering the sweeper-keeper role that we now expect. I made a documentary about Premier League goalkeepers. I interviewed a bunch of them to try and understand the art of the goalkeepers union. Many of them off the camera bemoaned what Madame Neuer had done to football back then. They were like, oh my God, not only do we have to do the saves, we've got to do the cheeky passes and the cute flicks like that bastard.

11:07But he seems utterly unfazed when he does them. He doesn't even mind when they go awry. That gift of a short memory, that beer goldfish, as Ted Lasso put it, is something that comes in handy for him, especially against Real Madrid, because it was in the Bernabeu in 2024, one of the worst moments of Manuel Lloy's career. He spilled a routine shot in the 88th minute. The Josselu pounced upon him. Bayern crashed out. This time, back in the Bernabeu two years later, an incredible performance, turning back the years. Turning back his recent form in many ways, nine saves total, three from Vinicius alone, four from Mbappe, one of which left Killian wide-eyed in sheer and utter disbelief.

11:47Manuel Neuer, 40 years young. He's not finished just yet, is he? No, it's been a bit of a kind of autumnal renaissance for Manuel Neuer. I was actually watching the Real Bayern game with my little boy, who turned to me at one point and said, Dad, how is Manuel Neuer 40? And I said, oh, he's not 40. Don't be silly. You've obviously got that wrong. EAFC has misled you. And he duly took my phone, which he shouldn't be able to do, unlocked it, which he definitely shouldn't be able to do, typed in Manuel Neuer age and checked, knew not to take the AI overview, had to check the sourcing. I've taught him well.

12:19Respect. and it turns out Manuel Neuer is 40, and I think most of us would maybe have assumed that he was sort of inching towards retirement. 40 seems young. In my mind, Manuel Neuer is like 50, maybe 55. Yeah, he's been around for a long, long time, Rog. But the fact is he seems to not only have recovered some of his old poise, but almost had a second lease of life. He seems renewed a little bit, determined maybe to go out. I don't know whether that's a determination to go out on a high to maybe cement his legacy. He's not someone whose name would have cropped up much in the last five years in the list of the best goalkeepers currently active in the world.

12:58It would have been Courtois, Donna Rummer, Alisson, Edison, players like that. Pickford. Also Jordan Pickford is a goalkeeper. Marc-Andre Zesteyden looked like he'd take his place for Germany and also in that list of the world's best goalkeepers. But Neuer just kept going and he does seem to have been somehow reinvigorated under Vincent Kompany. The German press has been talking about Neuer's demise for, well, years really, ever since he broke his leg skiing the week after the quite dismal 2022 German World Cup campaign. Tried to clear his head and in typical droll fashion posted on Instagram, hey guys, what can I say?

13:41The end of the year could have definitely gone better. Who says Germans don't have a sense of humour? since then, seven muscle injuries kept him in and out of the squad, launching many a column, many a pundit, hypothesising whether Bayern should implement a succession plan now. He is 40. He's got three months left on his contract, and yet this calls for him to come out of international retirement for this World Cup this summer. What's next for Manuel Neuer? Well, I suppose the logical thing is to say that if they won the Champions League and the Bundesliga, which looks almost certain then maybe this is a great time to step away but at the same time I think his performance levels haven't dipped he's clearly still got the reflexes the energy the appetite all that stuff that you need we saw that in the Bernabeu I don't really see why he wouldn't keep on going for another year maybe two goalkeepers can always play a little bit longer and if you think about the way that outfield players are maybe pushing their careers into their late 30s early 40s now in a way that used to be impossible logically goalkeepers should be able to do the same that Manuel Neuer should be able to keep going.

14:41And crucially, he's earned the right to choose when he stops. Yeah, God bless. Come to MLS, Manuel. Come and be a midfielder. That's my offer to you if you and your agent are listening. It'll be utterly, utterly amazing. Manuel Neu unleashing that attacking midfielder that lies within. But when you think of goalkeepers, I always think of what ledgering Manchester United manager Sir Alex Ferguson, who kind of epitomises all that old school notion of what players are, what positions are, the all-powerful manager who runs every single aspect of the club. He used to say, attack wins your games, but defence wins your titles.

15:17Maybe it's also some of the goalkeepers that will win this year's Champions League. For his part, Arteta says, after August, the demand quote is win and win and win. And if you don't win, it's a disaster. No one knows that better than Mikel Arteta. What will happen in these quarterfinals? Will either of these goalkeepers be breaching these second legs? Is one facing disaster in your mind? Raya will have a relatively comfortable second leg against Sporting. They might score. Arsenal will be nervous initially. The Emirates will be fractious. We know what's happened there recently. But I think ultimately Arsenal will get through relatively comfortably by at least three goals on aggregate.

15:54That will be a fairly straightforward journey to the semi-finals. And you know what, I thought the game in Madrid last week was weird because Real Madrid played quite badly but still had 20 shots. and in that last 20 minutes could easily have scored four or five times. So I don't think that one's over but I think Neuer and Bayern will make it through to set up a mouthwatering semi-final with not Liverpool. PSG. Both of those games. Arsenal against Sporting by Munich hosting Real Madrid Wednesday, April 15th at 3pm Eastern. In the other times, as you mentioned, Liverpool have assumed the position.

16:31Dutch stepdad on a slot saying a side were quote in survival mode against rampant PSG who take a 2-0 lead back through the tunnel. English people don't like it when I call it that. And in the last quarterfinal matchup, it's only Anton Griezmann's last dance. I consider you a player and then a friend. And there are eight leagues in the league. There are a game of the King. And if God wants, we're going to play five more games in the Champions League. So I invite you to enjoy it. I love you a lot. If any athlete in Madrid would be here, I'd be saying the same words. I feel absolutely identified.

17:17In them, I'm your coach. You know that if tomorrow you don't run, you'll go out. And nothing else. Sorry, I was just saying these words.

17:35before Griezmann traipses off to hit every theme park he can find in Orlando when he moves there on a free this summer, finally making his long-rumoured signing of MLS and tour of NBA stadiums, which will be inevitable. Simeone pours his pre-game press conference to pay homage to his long-time stalwart. They've been in so many battles together since 2014. It was really beautiful to watch deep, heartfelt comments about the kind of player, kind of human being that Griezmann is. Look, they're an odd match. Simeone, the gent who's entire wardrobe is black, who disappears down the tunnel before the opposition manager can shake his hand.

18:09And Griezmann, the mate-drinking NBA and Uruguay aficionado, but beneath the bright-dyed hair, beneath the Fortnite goal sellies, is a talent who never skirts responsibility. He has vision, avant-garde vision at times. Set a record with 84 straight French caps and on the game miss. Many people call him one of the five greatest players to ever represent France with whom he won a World Cup. He's now 35, slightly less sprightly, slightly less robust in key moments. Rory, how will you remember the chaotic Mercurial Griezmann? It's a great question, Rog, because he has been a really kind of standout figure in this generation of players who are, I think, more famous than we really give them credit for.

18:52The cultural impact that Griezmann's had in these last 10, 15 years is far greater than maybe we realise because we think about him so much. He's such a familiar part of the landscape. but he has been extraordinarily successful obviously the trophies at club level haven't necessarily followed but he's had this remarkable career after a remarkable journey to get to where he is you know a French kid who goes to play for Real Sociedad moves on to Atletico takes that risk of the big money move to Barcelona doesn't work out and has the nerve and the courage to go back to Atletico he's been this sort of fixture not just in La Liga but in the Champions League for 12 or 13 years now.

19:31And maybe we've taken him for granted a little bit. He's kind of been one of those figures that is just always there. But if you look at his highlights reel, if you look at the tricks he's done, if you look at the assists he's provided, the passes he's played, the goals he's scored, he has been without question one of the most talented players of his generation and also kind of one of the most breathtaking to watch because Griezmann plays and has always played with a really kind of impudent, almost childish inspiration that you don't see very often and is genuinely wonderful to watch. My favourite moment, one of my favourite moments of the Champions League season so far was his assist for Julian Alvarez's final goal in Madrid against Tottenham where you could see the Spurs players trying to work out what he'd done not necessarily because it was technically impossible but because it took such imagination to see the play running out as it did and that's always been Griezmann's gift, I think, to understand what is about to happen.

20:27To replace him, you already mentioned the man that many are wondering about in-house. Griezmann has been shifted to a rotation role and a$110 million signing from Manchester City. Another World Cup winner, Argentine Julian Alvarez. In his first season at the club, Alvarez scored 29 goals, added eight assists in 57 games. But against Barcelona last week, after Pau Koubasi was sent off for a dog's out challenge, Alvarez stepped up hit one of the who's free kicks that makes you just sit back and marvel on your couch and mutter words of awe Alvarez said after the game he'd taken half a dozen free kicks in training and he'd missed them all but the important one went in that's football that's life and it set Atletico on the way to a 2-0 win that Simeone called 100 % efficient the Atletico wrote that they suffered with glee in fact it was Simeone's first ever win in Kamnu incredible 7 draws 11 defeats in his 15 years prior.

21:25But a lot of the chatter after the game was about how Barcelona want to sign Julien Alvarez themselves to replace another spring chicken, Robert Lewandowski, 38 this summer. That is right. Barcelona still, with spending limits imposed by La Liga, want to buy a player on contract until 2030 with a half-billion-dollar release clause. But those rumours have gone so loud, so omnipresent. his agent said Alvarez grew up a Barca fan because of Lionel Messi that Alvarez was asked about it and he kind of quite uncomfortably tried to bat away the rumours before muttering I couldn't tell you maybe yes maybe no you never know yes those are the three options Julian so Rob past this will Alvarez be the in-house Griezmann replacement at Atleti or is a fire to this slightly curious smoke with Barcelona I mean it would be devastating for Atletico to lose him and Griezmann and potentially Simeone all at the same time.

22:22That kind of represents a gutting of the club. I would be inclined to say, Rog, that I don't understand how Barcelona could possibly afford him. But that's been true of lots of players before and they've signed them anyway. I really don't understand Barcelona's desperation to sign players with money they don't have to play alongside players who they have grown for free. There is so much homegrown talent in that Barca team that if they just had the nerve to say we don't need to spend all this money around them, we can be smarter in the transfer market rather than splurging. I think they'd stand as something really kind of pure and noble and admirable in world football.

22:57I'd like to think that economic reality will keep Alvarez at Atletico just because he is the sort of figurehead around which they could build another generation of a team, as we saw last week. And I feel like Spanish football and European football need Atleti to be strong. Yeah, I mean, you think about Alvarez. Is he Alvarez of our imagination? Is he Alvarez of the reality? and apart from that quite stunning, emphatic free kick, he's only scored once in the league since November the 1st. In fact, all of Atletico Madrid have been off pace this season, down in fourth, nowhere near the title race between a very fallible Barcelona and a deeply self-undermining Real Madrid.

23:36But as Simeone put it in his Griezmann eulogy, there are eight La Liga games left, one Copa del Rey game left, and if God wills it, five more games in the Champions League. So one of those is done. Half of the tie against Barcelona wrapped up. Griezmann will be well aware that he's never won a truly front-line major honour at the club. There was the Europa League in 2018. Atleti's two league titles under Simeone came when Griezmann wasn't at the club. They've never won the Champions League despite making those two agonising finals. This may not be vintage Atleti, but they're always dangerous. Roar, are they dangerous enough to play four more games in this competition before Griezmann rides off into the Floridian sunset?

24:21Four might be pushing it, but they should have three. Because as much as Hansi Flick has talked up the fact that Barcelona don't need to be perfect, they just need to be themselves and they are able to beat Atletico, that$2 advantage should prove decisive. Barca have played Atleti about 40 times this season. They have already won at the Metropolitano. So you can see why Flick has every reason to believe the tie's not finished. But with Barca having to score twice, all the onus being on them, that does play directly into Atletico's hands. You then get an Atletico Madrid Arsenal semi-final, which I would argue would not be a great spectacle.

24:56That's maybe my personal agenda shining through, Rog. I'm not sure it would be a feast of free-flowing football. I think psychologists will adore it. Psychologists will definitely adore it. It might cause both teams to spontaneously combust. I would have thought Arsenal would edge Atleti. but having said that they are the sort of team that could get into Arsenal's heads and that given all that Arsenal are going through could be quite important

25:20the final whistle of last week's game I talked to someone who works at Athletic in Madrid and he said expect us to grow the grass at the Metropolitano as long as is legally permissible ahead of this one expect more lethal suffering against Barcelona that game 3pm Eastern today Tuesday April 14 Before the Europa League tie, Aston Villa posted that video of the long walk down the tunnel at Snakesuit of Bologna FC's iconic Stadio Renato Dallara. But they emerged unscathed on the other side, posting a 3-1 win in Northern Italy last week. Second leg of this Europa League quarterfinal, my match to watch, not only because it makes you want to blast the weird Al song, my Bologna, but because there's a curious stat at stake for the reigning Copa Italia winners, their manager, none other than Vincenzo Italiano.

26:07Now, translation for any of you who aren't as fluent in Italian as me in Horncastle, it's Vince Italy. The powerballed with the best name on the peninsula. Formerly manager of Fiorentina, led to successive Conference League finals. That team has played 11 two-legged ties in Europe, never lost a single one. So if Villa and Unai Emery finish a job at home in Birmingham, it will be history-making in many ways. Tune in 3pm Eastern on Thursday. Villa deserve joy. Roar, who we're watching in the Conference League that Vinita Lee knows all too well. Yeah, well the Conference League isn't exactly a treasure trove of drama, Rog, because most of the first legs were pretty decisive.