Goalkeeper Marc-André ter Stegen expressed his relief and joy at being named Germany’s number one goalkeeper after a 12-year wait, describing the achievement as “a balm for the soul.”
Ter Stegen, who first joined the Germany squad in 2012, is set to assume the role of Germany’s permanent number one goalkeeper in their upcoming match against Hungary in Düsseldorf on Saturday. The announcement was made by coach Julian Nagelsmann on Monday, who also confirmed that Joshua Kimmich would replace Ilkay Gündogan as Germany’s captain. Nagelsmann stated, “Ter Stegen is the new number one.”
At 32 years old, Ter Stegen has had a distinguished career at Barcelona, where he has won the Champions League in 2015, along with five La Liga titles and five Spanish Cups. He moved to Barcelona from Borussia Mönchengladbach in 2014 and has earned 40 caps for Germany. Despite his impressive record, he had previously been unable to surpass Manuel Neuer, widely regarded as one of the greatest goalkeepers of all time.
With Neuer retiring from international duty in August, Ter Stegen now takes on the role of Germany’s main goalkeeper. He commented on the shift, saying, “I’m glad the wait is over,” and noted that the praise he has received since the appointment has been “a balm for the soul.”
Ter Stegen acknowledged that he had experienced frustration during his wait but dealt with it “professionally,” and admitted, “there were always moments where you said ‘wow, that’s another blow’.”
Following their match against Hungary, Germany will travel to Amsterdam to face the Netherlands next Tuesday.
