Manuel Neuer broke little-known FIFA rule during Germany's thrashing of Curacao

Manuel Neuer appeared to violate FIFA's official kit regulations during the World Cup clash between Germany and Curacao.

The 40-year-old goalkeeper, who earned a surprise recall to Julian Nagelsmann's 26-man World Cup squad after coming out of retirement, made his first Germany appearance in 710 days on Sunday.

His last outing for the national team came during their Euro 2024 quarter-final defeat to Spain.

Neuer's appearance at Houston Stadium was under the microscope after Nagelsmann handed him a place in the starting line-up over Oliver Baumann, but instead of his performance, some were talking about his shirt.

One fan wrote on social media: "Why was Neuer allowed to wear a long-sleeve white base layer visible under his green shirt?" while another commented: "It will be interesting to see what FIFA decides next."

Neuer during Sunday's clash between Germany and Curacao. Image credit: Getty

Ahead of kick-off, Neuer, who has worn short-sleeved shirts for years, was presented with a long-sleeved shirt by Germany's kitman, which apparently prompted the goalkeeper to take matters into his own hands.

However, the decision to cut the sleeves may land him in hot water after Neuer breached FIFA's kit regulations by wearing a white undershirt that did not match the dominant colour of his goalkeeper jersey.

As noted in FIFA's equipment regulations, any visible undergarment must be "of the same dominant colour" as the item worn over it and must not display any team identifiers, manufacturer identifiers or decorative elements.

It remains to be seen whether FIFA will take any action.

Image credit: FIFA

Manuel Neuer reacts to appearing in his fifth World Cup

Neuer, who has 125 caps for his country, has now played at five World Cups (2010, 2014, 2018, 2022 and 2026), after he featured for Germany in their 7-1 win over Curacao.

As a result, he equalled Lothar Matthaus' long-standing German record.

“That was very special. It makes me incredibly proud to be playing for the national team again. My fifth World Cup. I’m very pleased to be part of the whole thing," he said after Sunday's full-time whistle.

“I waited so long for this day and was determined to play. It felt very good to be on the pitch with the guys.

"It’s always very important to have a good start in a major tournament. We played a good game and scored many goals. The players who came off the bench brought good energy. We never stopped looking for the next goal.

"Now we’ll analyse and see what we can do better in the next games.”

Neuer also reflected on the goal he conceded, adding: “I actually was going to save it, but the ball took a deflection and the distance was too close to react. It was just unfortunate.”