Manuel Neuer is looking forward to playing against one of his role models on Saturday when Germany take on Gianluigi Buffon's Italy in the Euro 2016 quarterfinals.
The tie will see two of the best goalkeepers in world football meet at an international tournament for the first time since 2012.
Neuer, 30, and Buffon, 38, have gone head to head at club level in recent years, with the most recent meeting between the pair resulting in a total of 10 goals scored over two legs.
In March, Neuer's Bayern Munich beat Buffon's Juventus 6-4 on aggregate in the Champions League round of 16.
"I've played him a few times, and we always talked," Neuer told Tagesspiegel, praising his rival, who has won 158 caps for Italy so far.
"He was very friendly and fair, no matter how the matches ended, also after we eliminated Juventus from Champions League.
"Gigi has delivered top performances for the past two years. He is among my role models. He oozes calmness when he's on the pitch. He's got a very good presence in the box, he talks a lot, is very good on the line."
Saturday's match could be decided by a penalty shootout, and Neuer said that he would step up if required, just like he successfully did in the 2012 Champions League final against Chelsea.
He said: "I would be open for it should the other players not volunteer. My job in a penalty shootout really is to focus on the job as a keeper. But if other players have fears I will take one."