If the Champions League measures the limits of the best, Marc-André Ter Stegen started well but has continued badly over the years. His history with competition has gone from love to drama. As soon as he arrived at the Barça club, in the 2014-15 season, the German collaborated to win the title. It did not have the same importance, of course, as Suárez, who blew up the knockout rounds for the eighth and quarterfinals; Nor from Messi with that historic performance at Barça-Bayern, but he left a few touches. A penalty stopped Kun Agüero in the round of 16 and the one that was recognized as the best stop of the tournament in the second leg of the semifinals in Munich, after saving a sung goal on the line.
But, since then, Ter Stegen has only lived through nightmares. Turin (3-0), Rome (3-0), Liverpool (4-0), Lisbon (2-8), Camp Nou against PSG (1-4). It is true that the focus has never been on him, but also that he has not been the savior that could be expected of someone who, in his day, claimed to be the highest paid goalkeeper in the world. No saving stop by Ter Stegen is remembered in those key games, some flash that allowed Barça to hold on to those qualifying rounds. Against Juventus he was not able to guess Dybala's shots; Against Roma, it did not go well against Dzeko in the 1-0 play and showed his problems with set pieces in Manolas 3-0. Against Liverpool he was dwarfed by Wijnaldum's spikes and in 2-8 against Bayern he seemed invisible. They shot him 13 times on goal and scored eight goals. Last year he could not with Mbappé either.
These years, there have always been scapegoats in those parties. Mathieu in Turin; Semedo in Rome, Alba or Valverde in Liverpool, Setién in Lisbon. Ter Stegen has earned a good reputation at Barça, but he has missed a heroic night in the Champions League. As Valdés did in the 2006 final, or Zubi himself, fantastic against Lombardo in the 1992 final.
Bayern will also be a good test to find out exactly where the level of Ter Stegen is, who was still somewhat hesitant in the game against Getafe, the result of inactivity. Playing against Neuer always motivates Ter Stegen, who has even avoided a call with the Mannschaft sliding that he deserved the sorpasso.But that has not happened, and what has happened are two operations on the right patellar tendon that have complicated his regularity in goal. In Barcelona, however, nobody disputes Ter Stegen, and there have even been voices that have asked for him the captaincy that now has four La Masia players. His relationship with some nucleus of the dressing room had bad moments, especially with Messi and his bodyguard. Now, without the Argentine, he could gain weight. But where he needs to get big is in the field.