Ter Stegen: I thrive under pressure

Marc-André ter Stegen has always been a goalkeeper that oozes personality and self-confidence has never been an issue where he’s concerned. As he says in an interview with Barça TV, “pressure is a good thing. I like it a lot. I enjoy playing away as much as I do in our own stadium. Getting nervous won’t solve anything. But you should think about things, and think about them twice, because there’s always room for improvement.”

Speaking about the team in general, the German is pleased to day that “we are united as a group. We all make sure that everyone else is feeling comfortable. That makes it easier for us to play football; we all understand each other without needing to use words.”

On his early days at Barça, the 24 year old comments that “Rakitic helped me a lot. When I didn’t understand things, I’d ask him, so he helped a lot with my adaptation. Rafinha and Sergi Roberto too, because they speak good English. That made it all so much easier.”

“Barça always look for players that will adapt to the team easily. I guess that’s why they signed me. They wanted someone who’d fit into the Barça system, and it’s a style that I have always admired.”

Goalkeeping is an especially demanding position, and the former Borussia Mönchengladbach stopper insists that “the most vital element is communication with your team-mates. You can help them with everything because from where you are in the goal-mouth, you can see almost everything that’s going on.”

He was also asked about his early days playing the game, replying that "I used to be a striker, but one day our goalkeeper got injured. So I took his place in goal and found I liked it. I really enjoyed throwing myself to the ground!”

And does he have any peculiar habits? “Well, I always wear new gloves for every game. Then I use the same ones in training until the next match.”

As for his rivals for the place between the Barça sticks, Ter Stegen says that "Jordi Masip is a very loyal person. He always tries to improve and he’s a great goalie. So is Cillessen. He’s adapting well and I’ve been trying to help him with that.”

And finally, he was asked how he’d like to be remembered at the club. “I’d like to be remembered for winning a lot of trophies with the team” he answers.

Well, he hasn’t got off to a bad start! In just over two years at FC Barcelona, he already has eight different winner’s medals. Let’s hope there are plenty more where those came from!