A world class footballing legend and his wife have split just two weeks after the birth of their second child in a shock turn of events
Manuel Neuer and Anika Bissel have reportedly split just two weeks after the birth of their second child.
Despite a 14-year age gap between 40-year-old Bayern Munich goalkeeper and stunning handball player Bissel, 26, the pair started dating in 2020 following Neuer’s divorce from Nina Weiss, whom he was married to for three years.
The pair are claimed to have married at a private civil ceremony in 2023, before welcoming a son, Luca, the following year.
In 2025, Neuer and Bissel celebrated their marriage at Freudenstein Castle in South Tyrol.
Having welcomed a second son just two weeks ago, however, the pair have now gone their separate ways, according to BILD.
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Born in 2000, Bissel plied her trade with ESV 1927 in the 2. Bundesliga before stepping back from the sport last year. She now works as a Pilates instructor in Tegernsee in the Bavarian Alps.
A statement at the time of her exit from handball read: “The decision was very difficult for me.
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“I really like the team and I really enjoy playing with the girls.
“I don’t see the break as the end of my handball career; I just want to have more time for my son.
“I will miss the girls and handball very much, so I want to particularly enjoy the final games and finish our great season in the best possible way.”
Team coach Bernhard Goldbach added: “It’s simply impressive what Ani has achieved on and off the field this season.
“She came back from maternity leave stronger than ever and played in all of her season’s games. We can only take our hats off to that.”
Before committing to handball, however, Bissel was also big into tennis, athletics and vaulting. She was also part of the East Bavaria regional selection team in 2015 – aged just 14 – that won the Bavarian Championship.
A man who needs very little introduction, meanwhile, Neuer is still going strong as a world-class shot-stopper with Bayern Munich.
Well into the twilight years of his career, the Gelsenkirchen-born talent has been part and parcel of the Bavarians’ set-up since his 2011 move from Schalke, racking up 607 appearances.
During that time, he has lifted 13 Bundesliga titles, 14 domestic titles and a pair of Champions Leagues.
At international level, Neuer has also been capped 128 times by Germany and was instrumental in their World Cup win in 2014.