It is a normal occurrence to see the biggest Barcelona stars also being crucial players for their respective nations. The Catalan club has always housed some of international football’s biggest stars and it shows. However, there are also some instances where the prominence for some players is only more noticeable at Barcelona.
For Marc-Andre Ter Stegen, that is exactly how his career has gone down so far. Despite being one of the finest goalkeepers in the world for many years, the Barcelona captain has always been overshadowed by Bayern Munich goalkeeper Manuel Neuer.
Beyond just belonging to the Bundesliga and Germany, Neuer has been clearly the favorite at the German National team as well. Due to his prominence, however, Ter Stegen has been the player to suffer and his chances with his country have been far more limited than his great prominence at Barcelona.
However, recently, fortunes and tides have changed for the Barça goalkeeper. With Manuel Neuer now having retired, Ter Stegen is now the undisputed number one for his country. After such a long wait, the 32-year-old goalkeeper finally gets his big break with his international side.
Yet, Germany coach Julian Nagelsmann has recently revealed a conversation he had with the Barcelona goalkeeper back in March that was not exactly pleasant, as highlighted by Mundo Deportivo:
“The conversation we had with him in March was not particularly pleasant. I was afraid he might say, ‘I’m not going to participate in that,’ though I could have understood it. He has been number two for too long. Now I just hope he stays healthy and plays well for us in the World Cup in two years.”
However, since then, the player has stayed with the National team and even participated in the European Championship despite knowing he would not be getting too many minutes, if any. Now, he gets his reward as he becomes the primary choice between the sticks and showcased his quality in a 5-0 win over Hungary, something that Nagelsmann highlighted:
“He did very well against Hungary. He is a very important player for us. He has been playing at Barça for years, is the captain, and brings quality to the goal.”
His place at Barcelona remains untouchable, but now the same can be said for his place in the German National team. Despite the criticism that has come his way in recent years, the former Borussia Monchengladbach goalkeeper continues to retain the faith of both the German coaches that lead him at club-level and for his country.
