How could the life of Manuel Neuer – goalkeeper of Germany´s national football team and FC Bayern Munich– look like, if he hadn´t tried to become a professional football player? The film gives the answer.

It takes us through a day in the life of software tester Manuel Neuer, who explains in an interview style what he does in his job and life. No doubt, that he is happy with his job and with his life in general. But still, there are moments when he thinks back at his youth when he was goalkeeper in a local football team. Leading to a self-reflecting question at the end of the film: “What, if I had really tried to become a professional goalkeeper?!”. Well, you gotta try to experience what´s possible.

Manuel Neuer is not only the goalkeeper of Germany’s national soccer team, he is also the goalkeeper of Germany’s most successful Bundesliga-Club „FC Bayern München“. This online film was used in a contxt of a promotion where every one of Germany’s 1st Bundesliga clubs got their own Coke zero can with their logo on it.

In his Voice Over Neuer says a lot of things that have a double meaning and use a certain wording used by soccer players, that might not come across as well in english, as they do in German. For example: „I really arrived in Munich“ what is often said after players transferred to other clubs. Or: „I can concentrate for 45 minutes, then I get tired“ which refers to halftime in soccer, but is used while we see him in a meeting at work.

Coke zero is working together with Neuer as a testimonial since2015

The direction is cinematic, but at the same time gives the viewer a feeling of watching a person’s everyday life, like yours and mine. The calmness of the setting, sound and acting gives the hero, Manuel Neuer, a perfect platform for his unusual fine acting, being a professional sports-person and not an actor. Neuer was briefed by us and the director to really get into his role by imagining how his life would be, if he never tried to become a professional goalkeeper. To help him with these thoughts we, for example, packed a bag full of real items someone would carry with him on the way to work, like you do in method acting. The Voice Over was recorded like an interview situation. It sounds very natural and authentic, because we told Neuer to answer the questions like a typical goalkeeper, not like a software tester.