Berlin: Germany goalkeeper Manuel Neuer completed more successful passes at the World Cup than Argentina forward Lionel Messi, statistics on the tournament in Brazil released by world governing body FIFA showed yesterday.
Of a total of 297 passes made by the Bayern Munich keeper, 244, or 82 per cent were successful. That compares with 242 successful passes of a total of 356 by Barcelona star Messi, whose success rate was 68 per cent.
Neuer was awarded the Golden Glove award as best goalkeeper of the tournament. He also impressed with his ball-playing skills, successfully coming out of the box during the team’s win against Algeria to tackle opponents, regain possession or clear. FIFA’s decision to award the Golden Ball to Messi as the tournament’s most outstanding player has been criticised as unfair by many, including former Argentina star Diego Maradona.