In an interview in February, Germany’s Manuel Neuer admitted that he actually wanted to be a field player as a boy but was put into the goal instead. His massive size — he grew to 6 feet 4 inches — may have kept him there, but that early desire to have the ball at his feet instead of in his hands could explain quite a bit about the way Neuer plays the game.

More sweeper than keeper, Neuer has ventured farther outside his penalty area than any goalkeeper at the World Cup. He had 19 touches outside the penalty area in a Round of 16 game against Algeria, and spent moments during the Germans’ quarterfinal win against France on the edges of the center circle.

It is a calculated roaming. Neuer’s unwillingness to be bound by the lines of his penalty area has changed the way Germany plays. Confident that Neuer has the instincts and the foot skills to deal with defensive problems before they emerge, Germany’s field players have been free to press opponents deep into their own half and keep them there.

“Manuel has the same technical skills as the others,” Germany’s coach, Joachim Low, said earlier this month in approving Neuer’s wanderings. “He could play in midfield.”

At times, it almost seems as if he has, as you can see in the remarkable area he has covered in Brazil so far.