Marc-André ter Stegen, born April 30th, 1992, is a highly acclaimed German goalkeeper known for his tenure at Barcelona in La Liga and his contributions to the German national football team.
Renowned for his agility and remarkable saves, he played a pivotal role in Barcelona’s successes, including a treble-winning season.
Who is Ter Stegen?
Marc-André Ter Stegen, born April 30th, 1992, in Mönchengladbach, is Germany’s most revered and respected goalkeeper/footballer.
He is an important figure for both Barcelona in La Liga and the German national football team.
He started at the youth level of Borussia Mönchengladbach and worked his way up to the senior team, where he registered 108 league matches in the Bundesliga.
In exceptional matches, he was noticed and moved to Barcelona in 2014 for a transfer fee of €12 million.
He was instrumental in Barcelona’s treble-winning season, where they won the Copa del Rey and the UEFA Champions League.
Considered a top goalkeeper in the world, Ter Stegen is known by the popular nickname “the Berlin Wall.”
He is distinguished by his fast reflexes, a strong kick-in goal, and great ability to play football, among other outstanding characteristics.
In 2012, Ter Stegen made his first international breakthrough for the German national side. His involvement in key German football campaigns, including the UEFA Euro 2016, where they made it to the semifinals and the FIFA Confederation Cup win of July 2017, can attest to this fact.
He also played for the German national team in the World Cup in 2018, further demonstrating his prowess in elite competition.
What happened to Ter Stegen?
The German international, Marc-Andrée ter Stegen, is out because of a lower back injury he picked up during Barcelona’s training sessions with the Spanish senior national side.
Hence, he missed the last Barca match with Rayo Vallecano and also could not be included in his team’s squad for a Champions League tie versus Porto due to this injury.
In addition, it took Ter Stegen’s efforts to help Barcelona claim the La Liga title during that same year.
He won the Golden Foot Award, earned the La Liga Player of the Season title, and received the Zamora Trophy for being the top goalkeeper.
Nevertheless, the lack of his presence in the team as a result of a severe back injury forces a 19-year-old Barca junior goalie called Inaki Pena to step up into his boots for now.
Inaki Penna is a 24-year-old Academy graduate from Barcelona who was given a chance to play as a goalkeeper for Barcelona in place of Ter Stegen.
Despite being inexperienced at the highest level, Peña has been Barcelona’s substitute keeper in past years.
In their last match played out, he appeared for the first time this season against Rayo Vallecano and will probably remain between the posts during their upcoming clash with Porto, which is of great importance for the current Champion League.
Who replaces Ter Stegen?
Following a lower back incident during a training session with the German national team, Barcelona relies on Iñaki Peña, who is covering for Marc-André ter Stegen.
Inaki Pena, a graduate of Barcelona’s academy, is deputizing for the experienced Ter Stegen as a goalkeeper.
At 24, he has turned out to be one of the potential players who have shown up in the squad’s list of prospects Though perhaps limited in senior club appearances, Cillessen’s time as a reserve keeper at Barcelona ensured a thorough understanding of the squad’s working environment and philosophy.
It is an important chance for Penna to demonstrate how good he can be and play in the absence of Ter Stegen.
Peña’s background and being well-trained in the methodologies applied by Barcelona make it possible for him to know what is expected of him.
The support and confidence shown by the training team for him to replace Ter Stegen briefly and competently prove his readiness for this.
The contribution of Penna as an actual goalkeeper for Barcelona while Ter Stegen is unavailable on matchdays becomes a critical matter to monitor during this period.
