Marc-Andre ter Stegen insists Manuel Neuer is Germany's undisputed No1 goalkeeper

Sport360 staff 18:25 17/02/2018
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  • He may be the hot hand when it comes to being first choice goalkeeper for the defending champions – but Marc-Andre ter Stegen insists that whenever Manuel Neuer returns to action, he will be Germany No1 when the World Cup kicks off in Russia this summer.

    Although Die Mannschaft fans might be thinking there’s no need to rush their hero back for the World Cup with Ter Stegen in such fabulous form for Barcelona, the pretender to the Bayern Munich stopper’s throne feels very differently, dismissing the very notion his performances during Neuer’s absence mean he is primed to start between the sticks this summer.

    “No. For sure, not,” Ter Stegen tells ESPN in an exclusive interview. “When he comes back, he is the No1, he deserves a lot of respect and I think all of us are trying to help him to be at his best because in the end it is a team situation, we want to be successful as Germany, so we always try to push our team members.”

    Ter Stegen, 25, spent his early years in Catalonia acting as Claudio Bravo’s understudy. But the Chilean was tellingly allowed to leave by Luis Enrique in the summer of 2016, with the young German fitting seamlessly into the void as the Blaugrana’s new custodian.

    He has spent a good part of the 2017/18 campaign saving his team. As Barca headed into November, they had faced 24 shots. Ter Stegen had saved 23 of them – with the argument being presented that he is currently the best goalkeeper in Europe.

    Although he struggled in his early days in Spain following his move from his hometown club, Borussia Monchengladbach, Bravo bidding farewell and heading to Manchester City proved the turning point. His belief in himself was reinforced by the club’s belief in him.

    Marc-Andre ter Stegen insists when he returns, Manuel Neuer is Germany's No1.

    Marc-Andre ter Stegen insists when he returns, Manuel Neuer is Germany’s No1.

    “That showed me how much value I have for the club,” he said.

    “This is how football works sometimes. When he was here he was a very, very good goalkeeper who has a lot of quality and it was always a special relationship between us.”

    Despite a good understanding between the two, Ter Stegen also admits it was difficult.

    He added: “Yes, it is. It is. Because at the end there is one point where the club needs to decide. Claudio also had a lot of value and he had the same intentions that I had: we wanted to play 100 per cent, both of us, and not just, like, one plays Copa and Champions League, the other the league.

    “I always wanted to go for 100 per cent and he did the same, and in the end the club had to decide because it was a super-difficult situation, not just for the club but also for us.

    “In the end, Claudio decided to leave. I’m convinced that he is still doing very good, that he is trying to give 100 per cent. Even though he is not playing at the moment, not as much as he wanted to play, he made a decision which is important for life.

    “Hopefully, maybe one time he will come back to Spain, you never know. We’ll see how everything goes. But at that moment it was either him or me. And they decided for me.”

    Team-mate Ivan Rakitic helped him settle in when he first arrived in 2014, at the same time as Bravo, and Ter Stegen claims he is now very happy and settled in the city.

    Claudio Bravo has had his struggles since leaving Barca.

    Claudio Bravo has had his struggles since leaving Barca.

    “Ivan Rakitic speaks German, so when we both came, it was very easy,” said Ter Stegen, winner of 18 international caps since his 2012 debut.

    “I was asking him what they are saying, because I didn’t know the language. He helped me a lot. He helped me in the team with the conversations and stuff and that made me calm.

    “I feel like I’m home now: it’s three-and-a-half, four years now. I feel good, my wife is happy, we both are trying to adapt as fast as possible to the mentality.

    “This is why I wanted to speak the language as soon as possible. I am happy it has gone like this. At the beginning I wasn’t that happy but now with one and a half years that I am the clear first goalkeeper it is a lot different.”

    Ter Stegen started life as a striker but he reverted to a keeper when his future at Gladbach was thrust into jeopardy after a coach noticed there was something strange about the way he ran.

    It was actually a lucky discovery. Had it not been noticed, he probably wouldn’t be where he is today. He might have given up and you might never have heard of him. He was 10 and had been with Gladbach for six years.

    “I started as an outfield player,” he said. “I started playing as a striker. At the beginning, it is all about fun. I had a lot of fun. But then when I was 10, I had a coach who said that I had a strange running style.

    “I was about to leave… I had a decision to take: if I leave or if I stay, but as a goalkeeper. Sometimes I was playing in goal and he was very happy with that. And I was OK, I was confident in goal, I played there in my free time a bit, in small games and stuff, so that was OK.”

    One of the things that stands out about Ter Stegen now is not the way he runs, but that he is a keeper who is good with his feet. He’s often seen clipping perfect passes to teammates or avoiding tackles from opponents. A goalkeeper who, in his own words, is “trying to play”. He adds: “One more [outfield] player when we have the ball, trying to give my colleagues options, keep the match moving, helping them find good solutions.”

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