Marc-André ter Stegen is a German professional footballer who plays for Spanish club FC Barcelona
as a goalkeeper.
After four seasons in the Bundesliga with Borussia Mönchengladbach, ter Stegen joined
Barcelona for €12 million in 2014.
He has represented Germany at several youth levels and made his senior international debut
in 2012.
Club career Mönchengladbach
2010–11 season In the first half of the 2010–11 season,
Ter Stegen established himself as the star of Borussia Mönchengladbach's reserve team
and was frequently seen on the first-team bench.
Whilst he was enjoying a relatively successful season, the same could not be said for his
first-team colleagues.
Mönchengladbach's senior side were seemingly failing in their efforts to avoid relegation,
and on 14 February 2011, then-manager Michael Frontzeck was replaced by Lucien Favre, with
the team rooted to the bottom of the Bundesliga, having accumulated only 16 points after 22
match days.
Results soon improved, but the erratic form of first-choice goalkeeper Logan Bailly held
the team back.
Whilst he was able to produce match-winning performances such as the one against Werder
Bremen, these were few and far between, and were frequently cancelled out by uninspiring
games.
The fans of Mönchengladbach were quick to discredit the Belgian international, with
some accusing him of putting more effort into his modelling career than his football.
Ter Stegen's progress for the reserve team had not gone unnoticed by the supporters,
and the new manager was inundated with demands to start the young prodigy in the league.
Favre eventually lost patience with Bailly, and on 10 April 2011, relegated him to the
bench in favour of Ter Stegen for the match against 1.
FC Köln.
The young German did not disappoint, and the defence boasted a previously unseen solidity.
He kept his place in the team for the remainder of the season, keeping four clean-sheets out
of a possible five in the last five matchdays as Mönchengladbach avoided relegation via
the playoffs.
During this run, he shot to prominence with a last-man-standing display against eventual
champions Borussia Dortmund, making a string of world-class saves as Mönchengladbach secured
a famous 1–0 victory.
2011–12 season Ter Stegen's status as first-choice goalkeeper
was cemented when Bailly was sent on loan to Swiss side Neuchâtel Xamax and the no.1
shirt delegated to Ter Stegen, who had previously worn 21.
During the summer transfer window, Bayern Munich had succeeded in their drawn-out pursuit
of Schalke 04's captain Manuel Neuer.
The German international made his debut against ter Stegen's Mönchengladbach at the Allianz
Arena.
The game did not go the way the pundits predicted, however, with Ter Stegen producing yet another
inspired display whilst his counterpart Neuer made the error that condemned Bayern to a
1–0 defeat.
Following this game, Borussia Mönchengladbach embarked on an unlikely title challenge, with
Ter Stegen and fellow youngster Marco Reus providing the inspiration for Mönchengladbach.
2012–13 season After the departures of Reus to Borussia Dortmund
and Dante to Bayern Munich, Ter Stegen emerged as Mönchengladbach's main star for the season.
He was again first-choice, and in February 2013, it was reported that Ter Stegen signed
a pre-agreement with La Liga club FC Barcelona.
The deal was later denied by himself.
2013–14 season After being strongely linked to Barça, Ter
Stegen remained at Mönchengladbach for the new season.
On 6 January 2014, he rejected a new deal from the club, raising the speculation over
his future.
In the last home game of the season, a 3–1 home success against Mainz 05 on 5 May, Ter
Stegen sent a tearful goodbye to Borussia Mönchengladbach.
Barcelona On 19 May 2014, ter Stegen was announced as
the new goalkeeper of Spanish La Liga side FC Barcelona, after the departures of Víctor
Valdés and José Manuel Pinto, effective during the summer transfer window.
On 22 May 2014, he signed a five year contract that would keep him at the club until June
2019.
The transfer fee was €12 million, and the buy-out clause was set to €80 million.
After the move, ter Stegen said joining the club was the right move and aim to settle
at the club.
Days after signing for Barcelona, ter Stegen was unveiled at the stadium of Camp Nou and
dismissed his comparison to Valdés, insisting "I am who I am and that’s that".
International career Ter Stegen was rewarded for his performances
by Joachim Löw, who called him up to Germany's provisional squad for UEFA Euro 2012.
He made his debut on 26 May 2012, in the 5–3 loss against Switzerland in a friendly match,
but did not make the final cut for the tournament.
He stopped a penalty from Lionel Messi in his second international match in a 1–3
loss against Argentina on 15 August.
He was called up to Germany's tour of the United States in mid-2013.
On 2 June, against the United States, he failed to control the ball after a back pass from
Benedikt Höwedes, to concede an own goal.
The game ended 4–3 to the United States.
In the first three matches that he played for Germany the team never won and they conceded
12 goals.
His first clean sheet for his country came in a friendly against Poland where it ended
as a scoreless draw on 13 May 2014.
Career statistics Club
As of match played 10 May 2014.
International As of match played 13 May 2014.
References
External links Barcelona profile
Marc-André ter Stegen at fussballdaten.de