Marc-André Ter Stegen
He was only a goalkeeper to save his career
Updated on 08/06/2025 – 2:32 p.m.Reading time: 2 min.
Marc-André Ter Stegen is currently fighting for his dream to take part in the national team of the national team in the World Cup. He never wanted to be that.
National goalkeeper Marc-André Ter Stegen owes his career to an unusual event in his youth. In a contribution to the US platform “The Players’ Tribune”, he reported how he became a goalkeeper through the incident of a teammate.
“A bloody nose – that’s how I became a goalkeeper,” Ter Stegen begins. As a ten -year -old, he played as a striker in Borussia Mönchengladbach’s youth team. A teammate who guarded the goal often had nosebleeds. A replacement for him quickly had to be found during a game, and Ter Stegen jumped in – although his heart actually beat for something else.
“I loved scoring goals, so I played, that made me happy,” recalls Ter Stegen. But over time he was increasingly enjoying standing in the goal: “At that time I suddenly played in the goal – and liked it. And every time I went into the goal, I felt more comfortable.”
At the same time, his coach’s criticism of his style of play as a striker increased: “You don’t really lift your feet when you run,” it said at the time. So there was a decisive course at Borussia Mönchengladbach. His coaches presented him with the choice, as he said: “You can either be in the goal or play for another club.” Ter Stegen decided without hesitation for the position in the goal – also because Gladbach was his home and he absolutely wanted to stay with Borussia at the time.
This decision led him to an impressive career: Marc-André Ter Stegen has been a regular goalkeeper at FC Barcelona and number one of the German national team in recent years. With the participation in the World Cup in the USA, Canada and Mexico, he now wants to meet the World Cup in the coming year. After a back surgery, which he will be out for at least three months, he is currently fighting for his comeback.