Manuel Neuer wasn't the busiest player on the pitch on Wednesday night. Nor was he the hero, as he has been on so many occasions for club and country. But he still managed to put a smile on the face of former employer Schalke 04, who sold him to Bayern in 2011.

The canny management of the Gelsenkirchen club inserted a clause into the star goalkeeper's contract meaning that every time Bayern reach a semi final of the Champions League, a German Cup final or win the Bundesliga, they have to pay their domestic rival a huge sum of cash.

While the deal originally cost Bayern €22 million, they have so far forked out a further €8 million to the team from North Rhine-Westphalia. And the number could rise even further, as Bayern push for a treble of wins in all three competitions.

Ex-Schalke boss Horst Heldt commented that “If we don't win the title, we're delighted when Bayern do,” reports the Stimberg Zeitung.

Since that has been something of a regular occurrence over the last few years, Schalke have been more than happy.

Unfortunately for the Rhinelanders, the deal comes to an end at the end of this season.

From next autumn on Schalke 04, who currently lag behind Bayern by over thirty points in the league, will have to figure out a way of winning for themselves.