Marc-André ter Stegen
 | |||
| Personal information | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Full name | Marc-André ter Stegen | ||
| Height | 1.89 m (6 ft 2+1⁄2 in) | ||
| Position(s) | Goalkeeper | ||
| Team information | |||
Current team | Borussia Mönchengladbach | ||
| Number | 1 | ||
| Youth career | |||
| 1996–2010 | Borussia Mönchengladbach | ||
| Senior career* | |||
| Years | Team | Apps | (Gls) |
| 2009– | Borussia Mönchengladbach II | 18 | (0) |
| 2010– | Borussia Mönchengladbach | 27 | (0) |
| International career‡ | |||
| 2008–2009 | Germany U17 | 11 | (0) |
| 2009–2010 | Germany U18 | 4 | (0) |
| 2010–2011 | Germany U19 | 3 | (0) |
|
*Club domestic league appearances and goals, correct as of 04:02, 14 February 2012 (UTC) ‡ National team caps and goals, correct as of 8 May 2011 | |||
Marc-André ter Stegen (born 30 April 1992 in Mönchengladbach, North-Rhine-Westphalia) is a German professional footballer who plays as a goalkeeper for Borussia Mönchengladbach.[1]
Club career
Borussia Mönchengladbach
Early career
Ter Stegen joined Borussia Mönchengladbach's youth system aged just 4. From an early age he was identified as a potential star of the future, and by 2010 had represented the club at every youth level. He was occasionly seen on the first team substitutes bench when any of the first-team goalkeepers were injured, although he had to wait until 2011 to make his first official appearance for the club.
2010-11 Season
In the first half of the 2010-11 Season, Ter Stegen established himself as the star of Borussia Mönchengladbach's reserve team and was frequently seen on the first-team bench. Whilst he was enjoying a relatively successful season, the same could not be said for his first-team colleagues. Mönchengladbach's senior side were seemingly failing in their efforts to avoid relegation, and on February 14, 2011 then manager Michael Frontzeck was replaced by Lucien Favre, with the team rooted to the bottom of the Bundesliga having accumulated only 16 points after 22 match days.[2]
Results soon improved, but the erratic form of first-choice goalkeeper Logan Bailly held the team back. Whilst he was able to produce match-winning performances such as the one against Werder Bremen, these were few and far between, and were frequently cancelled out by uninspiring games. The fans of Die Fohlen were quick to discredit the Belgian international, with some accusing him of putting more effort into his modelling career than his football. Ter Stegen's progress for the reserve team had not gone unnoticed by the supporters, and the new manager was inundated with demands to start the young prodigy in the league. Favre eventually lost patience with the Bailly, and on 10 April 2011 relegated him to the bench in favour of Ter Stegen for the match against 1. FC Köln. The young German did not disappoint, and the defence boasted a previously unseen solidity. He kept his place in the team for the remainder of the season, keeping 4 clean-sheets out of a possible five in the last five matchdays as Mönchengladbach avoided relegation via the playoffs. During this run, he shot to prominence with a last-man-standing display against eventual champions Borussia Dortmund, making a string of world-class saves as Die Fohlen secured a famous 1-0 victory.
2011-12 Season
Ter Stegen's status as first-choice goalkeeper was cemented when Bailly was sent on loan to Swiss side Neuchâtel Xamax and the no.1 shirt delegated to Ter Stegen, who had previousy worn 21.
During the Summer transfer window, Bayern Munich had succeeded in their drawn-out pursuit of FC Schalke 04's captain Manuel Neuer. Cited by many as the best goalkeeper in the world, the German international made his debut against Ter Stegen's Mönchengladbach at the Allianz Arena. However, the game did not go the way the pundits predicted, with Ter Stegen producing yet another inspired display whilst his counterpart Neuer made the error that condemmned Bayern to a 1-0 defeat. Following this game, Borussia Mönchengladbach embarked on an unlikely title challenge, with Ter Stegen and fellow youngster Marco Reus providing the inspiration for Die Fohlen.
When Mönchengladbach played Bayern at home for the first Bundesliga fixture of 2012, Ter Stegen once again displayed his aptitude in big games, keeping Bayern at bay as 'Gladbach ran out 3-1 winners. This performance led Bayern and Germany legend Sepp Maier to proclaim that Ter Stegen was as good as Manuel Neuer, who had once again made the mistake that cost Bayern against Die Fohlen.[3]
Playing Style
Ter Stegen's style of goalkeeping has been frequently compared to that of his childhood hero, Oliver Kahn. Ter Stegen likes to organise his defence into a cohesive unit, and like Kahn, has been known to react angrily when they fail to do so. He is very brave when coming out for 1v1s and claiming crosses. This sometimes backfires, as he once lost two front teeth in a collision with Borussia Mönchengladbach's goalkeeping coach Uwe Kamps.[4] He is one of a generation of German goalkeepers to adopt the 'starfish' save (first pioneered by Peter Schmeichel) when faced with a shot from close range. This movement involves the goalkeeper spreading his limbs in the shape of a star in order to cover as much of the goal as possible. It is best employed when the goalkeeper boasts an intimidating physique and the shot is being taken from a narrow angle.
References
- ^ "ter Stegen, Marc-André" (in German). kicker.de. Retrieved 13 August 2011.
- ^ Favre soll Gladbach retten
- ^ Maier: Ter Stegen as good as Neuer
- ^ Ter Stegen loses teeth in training ground accident
External links
- Marc-André ter Stegen at transfermarkt.de Template:De icon
- Marc-André ter Stegen at fussballdaten.de (in German)