Manuel Neuer says that he told his Bayern Munich team-mates about his skiing injury in their WhatsApp group and apologised for the incident.
The 36-year-old fractured his leg while skiing in December, after Germany's exit from the World Cup, and is set to miss the rest of the season.
In an interview with The Athletic, Neuer has revealed how he told Bayern about the injury.
“I put up a picture in our WhatsApp group and apologised,” the goalkeeper said. “I also called the people in charge, apologised to them and said, that I'm sorry.
“The Bayern bosses were in shock. Nobody could say anything at first. Maybe that's why they were a little reserved towards me. I could understand that.”
Neuer also opened up on how he sustained the injury.
“There was something under the snow that stopped me,” he said. “I was doing maybe 10, or 12 km/h. I've gone down this piste countless times.
“First of all, you hope that it's not that severe. I didn't pray, but I lied to myself: 'It's not so bad, it's not a big thing.'
“I was fully conscious the whole time. My friends were all surprised (about my reaction) when it became apparent how bad it was, later on. They knew something was wrong, but not to that magnitude.
“What floors you is telling people around you what happened, that you need surgery. I was very emotional, it really got to me.”
Bayern were forced into signing goalkeeper Yann Sommer from Bundesliga rivals Borussia Monchengladbach during the January transfer window to cope with Neuer's absence.
Hansi Flick's side are leading the pack in the tightly-contested German top flight, sitting a point ahead of second-placed Union Berlin and three ahead of Freiburg in fifth.
(Photo: Getty Images)