Marc-André ter Stegen: Revered in Barcelona, ​​second in the national team

Shortly before he withdrew from the public because of his daughter's cancer, Luis Enrique also spoke about Marc-André ter Stegen in an interview.

Enrique, former FC Stegen coach at FC Barcelona, ​​added a particularly beautiful commentary on the German goalkeeper, calling it "incredibly vivid": "His parades are like works of art". Enrique also emphasized ter Stegen's behavior in competition with Claudio Bravo: "He accepted that he did not have the lead role, and passed a brutal matriculation exam."

German supreme goalkeeping contest

If, apparently, the German supreme discipline of the goalkeeper dispute is reissued, the situation is actually only for one party new. Despite his 33 years Neuer had never been with a longer pitch, in Schalke the replacement of the aging Frank Rost took place quickly, the national goal fell to him by an injury of René Adler, everything else did his job.

Ter Stegen, however, seems damned to eternal goalkeeper duel. Already for DFB junior days with Bernd Leno legends entwine. In Bravo Luis Enrique decreed then between 2014 and 2016, a division of labor - the Chilean played league, the German the rest - who had to endure many tensions. Well, then the national goal.

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Especially because of his experience as a reservist, ter Stegen had to resent the fact that he was classified as a threat to team peace by the reinvigorated Neuer, as he had always remained loyal during the weakness of the Munich player. "Inappropriate" he called before the Champions League match in Dortmund (21 clock, TV: Sky, SPIEGEL live ticker) the corresponding comment. What does Neuer know? He could have asked.

Job sharing with Claudio Bravo

In Bravo, a triple and a double jumped out in job sharing with Bravo. However, the truth is that no day would have gone well - not least because of ter Stegen before the election, Barça sold in 2016, the almost ten years older Chileans to Manchester City. "For someone like me who wants to play everything, the situation was very complicated," remembered ter Stegen later. Even then, his tragedy was the same as it is today: the other made it very well.

Now he is the undisputed number one in Barcelona for the fourth consecutive season. Breathtaking with the foot, sometimes miraculously with his hands and with a charisma that makes his goal small for opposing strikers. Whether his substitute, Jasper Cillessen, or Neto, has been a goalkeeper exchange with Valencia, is no more than a footnote: even in the debating Spain, no one would allow the second-keeper more than the traditional cup appearances. Ter Stegen and Atléticos Jan Oblak are currently regarded as the best goalkeepers. Nobody would come up with the idea of ​​naming ter Stegen in a league with Europa League keepers Leno and Kevin Trapp, as Neuer did on the weekend.

In Barcelona liked as a human

Barcelona is ter Stegen's safe haven. No debates, no national coach, who shows reform zeal in the variation of the lineup - just not in the goalkeeper question. No rival, the office and historical merits of a different standing and location has a more direct microphone access.

But Barcelona is also his place in the world, he is liked here as a human being. Because he sometimes drives Metro or scooters, normally bought at the bakery, moved from the footballing Venetian Castelldefels into the center, because he learned record-breaking Spanish, now also understands Catalan and gives the impression overall, to have come to a city and not just in a football club , The fans at Camp Nou are the loudest on ter Stegen after Lionel Messi and Luis Suárez.

Memorable action against PSG

As a goalkeeper ter Stegen is worshiped. For years, he has been the central axis with Gerard Piqué in defense, Sergio Busquets in midfield, Messi and Suárez. Initial occasional flaws from over-zealousness have given way to impressive action certainty, and some actions are eternally anchored in the thought lexicon of fans - such as his ball capture in the other half, in March 2017 at the score of 5: 1 against Paris Saint-Germain after 0: 4 im First leg, one last attack allowed. Sergi Roberto scored to 6: 1 - Barcelona was on.

But even Barcelona can not give him the DFB regular place, which was reserved for him even after his excellent Confed Cup 2017. In Spain, this was often not understood, but ultimately it is not Spain's theme, there are all happy once that their own national coach Robert Moreno has replaced in the "selección" eternally flighty David De Gea by Kepa Arrizabalaga.

In Barcelona, ​​on the other hand, they have experience with excellent goalkeepers, who were second only nationally: Víctor Valdés, keeper of the big Barça and back since summer as an A youth coach, never got past Iker Casillas. Nevertheless, the two admired each other. "Rivals in position, friends in life", as Casillas once said. Until then, it is still a long way for ter Stegen and Neuer.