Goalkeeper Manuel Neuer lets out his frustration about the botched football World Cup in Qatar while skiing – with fatal consequences. The captain of FC Bayern and the national soccer team falls and is seriously injured. He’ll be out for half a year or more. The record champion reacts on the transfer market and signs Yann Sommer from Borussia Mönchengladbach as a replacement. National coach Hansi Flick also has to think about how to compensate for the loss of his number one. Is it now the hour of Marc-André ter Stegen, the eternal challenger? Or does the coach rely on the in-form Frankfurter Kevin Trapp?
“Of course I have the right to be number one in the national team. I’ve said that for years,” says ter Stegen in an exclusive interview with RTL / ntv. He continued: “But that doesn’t mean that you can’t be loyal to your colleagues anymore. Trappo is having an outstanding season and I have a lot of respect for what he’s doing. We get along great, we both probably have the same thing Goal.”
In a fair competition, however, the FC Barcelona keeper sees himself in pole position. “The most important thing for everyone is to stay healthy. As long as I perform, I have a very good chance of getting my minutes and being number one.”
But the decision is not in his hands: “I’m just the one who can recommend games, I’m doing that at the moment.”
Ter Stegen speaks of treating DFB competitors with respect
Ter Stegen has great confidence in the national coach’s decision-making. “It’s about performance. I’ll make the decision as easy as possible for him by playing well over the next few weeks.” Ter Stegen is particularly pleased about the respectful interaction with one another. “I think we have good communication.”
He was in contact with his big competitor Neuer after his serious accident. “We wrote briefly, I wished him a speedy recovery and I hope that he will come back as soon as possible,” says ter Stegen and gives an insight into the relationship between the two rivals: “We just had a good relationship, so it’s a shame what happened. Only the best for him and for the future.”
Ter Stegen does not want to judge Neuer’s carelessness. “I don’t know what’s in other contracts. I don’t want to comment on that either. There are things in my contract, especially extreme sports, that I’m not allowed to do.”
At the age of 30, Ter Stegen is currently in the best footballer age, but also at an age where you think about what the path to the home straight could look like. “I still have two and a half years of contract here, I’m happy here, my family is happy here too. As long as we’re on the right track, as long as we’re successful, I’m in the right place. From my personal identity, but also from that of FC Barcelona.”
Nevertheless, a return to the old homeland of Germany is always an option. Maybe even to his youth club Borussia Mönchengladbach? “Roland Virkus (sports director, editor’s note) and I had a special connection. Whether Gladbach still wants me when I’m 40 is another question. We exchange ideas from time to time. Borussia is always something special. One of the few teams I would always listen to if there was interest.”