Marc André Ter Stegen, 29, took off his superhero cape at Barça some time ago. The German has always been a very protected goalkeeper in Barcelona. His first season, memorable for the team, which won the treble with him as the starting goalkeeper of the Cup and the Champions League; and Bravo in LaLiga, earned him a deserved fame, which he also adorned with his quick adaptation to the customs of the city and the apparent simplicity of his way of life, close to the people of the street. At 22-23 years old, Ter Stegen was an exuberant goalkeeper, very good at one-on-one, with great reflexes under sticks, and with a footwork that won over critics. and the fans despite unforgivable sings like one in Vigo that Luis Enrique made ugly in a defeat against Celta; or that goal by San José in San Mamés in the 2015 Super Cup from just beyond the center of the field.
So sure was Ter Stegen of himself that he raised a pulse to the club with a partner in between. “Either Bravo or me,” he told Robert Fernández, then technical secretary, in an office in 2016. He was going to go to Manchester City. Bartomeu had to urgently sell Bravo to the citizens to stay with the German, who was younger and wanted to monopolize the ownership in the two major competitions, even in three if possible, as was demonstrated last year with the replacement of Neto .
But Ter Stegen has diminished as a goalkeeper in recent times. He was never safe in the open field or in high balls, but under sticks and in one on one he was one of the best in the world. However, little by little he stopped being the savior of the team and, in Europe, he is in the photos of the great falls without being reminded of stops that saved Barça of disasters in the black nights of Turin (3-0), Rome (3-0), Liverpool (4-0) or Lisbon against Bayern (2-8). On the contrary, in some of those 18 conceded goals he was missed. Nor has he proven to be number one in character and, now that Barça need people who impose themselves and charisma, they are missing.
The problems in his right knee have also multiplied in the last two years, with two operations. Ter Stegen's photo in Lisbon this Wednesday against Benfica was once again that of recent times. A dwarfed goalkeeper, slow reflexes on Darwin's first goal, which he missed at the short angle and very close to where he was. It was not the first time. Piqué recently accused him of diving too early on Müller's 0-1 play on the first matchday of the group stage against Bayern, when the ball touched Eric Garcia. Against Granada, he mismeasured a tense center by Escudero that Duarte finished off with ease. And this Wednesday, in Lisbon, he demonstrated those deficiencies in the open field, mistaking an exit that did not end in a goal due to the collaboration of the post.
Ter Stegen has ended any vestige of competition at Barça. If he is physically available, he always plays. That ended up demotivating Cillessen and something like that has happened with Neto, who asked to leave this summer but did not bring any offers to the club's offices. The Brazilian threw in the towel last season to the point that Koeman, tired of his attitude, ended up putting Ter Stegen back in the Cup. There Ter Stegen had his last outstanding performance, with the penalty that stopped Ocampos in the second part of the second leg of the semifinal against Sevilla. Since then, his performance has been in decline, with a League final to forget, which led to the operation. This course has started down the same path. The German, as a sacred cow and goalkeeper who once demanded to be the highest paid in the world, is obliged to improve his performance, far from the one that one day elevated him to the top-10 of the best goalkeepers in the world.