ter Stegen began his career at hometown teamBorussia Mönchengladbach. In the first half of the 2010–11 season, he established himself as the star oftheir 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.[11] Mönchengladbach's senior side were seemingly failing in their efforts to avoidrelegation, and on 14 February 2011, managerMichael Frontzeck was replaced byLucien Favre, with the team rooted to the bottom of theBundesliga, having accumulated only 16 points after 22 match days.[12]
The team’s results soon improved, but the erratic form of first-choice goalkeeperLogan Bailly held the team back. Whilst he was able to produce match-winning performances such as the one againstWerder Bremen, these were few and far between, and were frequently cancelled out by uninspiring matches. The fans of Mönchengladbach 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 Bailly, and on 10 April 2011, relegated him to the bench in favour of ter Stegen for the match against1. 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 fourclean-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 championsBorussia Dortmund, making a string of world-class saves as Mönchengladbach secured a famous 1–0 victory.[citation needed]
ter Stegen's status as first-choice goalkeeper was inevitable when Bailly was sent on loan to Swiss sideNeuchâtel Xamax and the No.1 shirt was delegated to ter Stegen, who had previously worn 21.[citation needed]
During the summer transfer window,Bayern Munich had succeeded in their drawn-out pursuit ofSchalke 04's captainManuel Neuer. The German international made his debut against ter Stegen's Mönchengladbach at theAllianz Arena. The match did not go the way the pundits predicted, however, with ter Stegen producing yet another inspired display whilst his counterpart Neuer made the error that condemned Bayern to a 1–0 defeat. Following this match, Borussia Mönchengladbach embarked on an unlikely title challenge, with ter Stegen and fellow youngsterMarco Reus providing the inspiration for Mönchengladbach.[citation needed]
After the departures of Reus andDante, ter Stegen emerged as Mönchengladbach's main star for the season. He was again first-choice, and in February 2013, it was reported that ter Stegen signed a pre-agreement withLa Liga clubBarcelona.[13] The deal was later denied by himself.[14]
After being strongly linked with Barcelona, ter Stegen remained at Mönchengladbach for the new season. On 6 January 2014, he rejected a new deal from the club,[15] raising the speculation over his future. In the last home match of the season, a 3–1 home success againstMainz 05 on 5 May, ter Stegen gave an emotional farewell to Borussia Mönchengladbach.[16]
On 19 May 2014, ter Stegen was announced as the new goalkeeper of Spanish club Barcelona, with goalkeeperClaudio Bravo, after the departures ofVíctor Valdés andJosé Manuel Pinto, effective during the summer transfer window.[17] On 22 May 2014, he signed a five-year contract that would keep him at the club until June 2019. The transfer fee was €12 million (£9.7 million), and the buy-out clause was set to €80 million (£63.6 million).[18] After the move, ter Stegen said joining the club was the right move and that he aimed to settle at the club.[19]
ter Stegen suffered an injury prior to the first league match of the season.[20] Due to this injury, Barcelona managerLuis Enrique made Bravo the starting league goalkeeper, where he would go on to win theZamora Trophy. ter Stegen, ended up not playing at all in Barca'svictorious league campaign,[21] but he was made the first-choice goalkeeper in both theCopa del Rey matches and in theUEFA Champions League. He made his debut in the latter tournament on 17 September, keeping a clean sheet in a 1–0 home win overAPOEL.[22] He helped Barcelona winthe final of the domestic Copa Del Rey cup in his first season, a 3–1 victory againstAthletic Bilbao on 30 May 2015.[23] A week later, he played in theChampions League Final at theOlympiastadion in Berlin, a 3–1 win overJuventus.[24][25] He won the "Best Save" award for his spectacular "goal-line" save against Bayern Munich, in the second leg of theChampions League semi-final.[26]
His second season opened with victory in the2015 UEFA Super Cup againstSevilla inTbilisi on 11 August. Having led 4–1, he then conceded three more goals to send the match into extra time, in which Barcelona won 5–4.[27] He made his La Liga debut on 12 September 2015 in a match againstAtlético Madrid, which Barcelona won 2–1.[28]
In March 2016, ter Stegen said on the subject of Luis Enrique's rotation policy: "In the long run, these 25 games per season are not enough for me. The decision is made by the coach. I hope that the quality I've shown recently is rewarded."[29]
ter Stegen picked up injuries at the start of the season, due to which he missed theSupercopa de España and league matches. He became Barcelona's first-choice goalkeeper after Claudio Bravo left forManchester City on 25 August 2016.[30] On 13 September 2016, ter Stegen gave away and saved a penalty fromMoussa Dembélé which kept the score at 1–0 and which eventually led to a 7–0 victory for Barcelona againstCeltic in theUEFA Champions League.[31] On 2 October 2016, ter Stegen had a poor performance when he made two crucial mistakes, which cost Barcelona the match, as they eventually went on to lose 4–3 againstCelta Vigo.[32] He later apologized and said that he would not change his playing style.[33] He later received positive reviews for his role inBarcelona's 6–1 comeback victory against Paris Saint-Germain in the 2nd leg of theChampions League round-of-16 for receiving a crucial foul from Paris Saint-Germain midfielderMarco Verratti in the opposition half – which led toSergi Roberto's crucial 94th-minute winner that kept Barcelona in the hunt for the Champions League. As a result, Barcelona qualified for theChampions League quarterfinals, where they were eventually eliminated by Juventus.[34][35] ter Stegen proved to be even more decisive in the second leagueEl Clásico that season by producing a staggering 12 saves in a 3–2 victory at theSantiago Bernabéu againstReal Madrid, which kept Barcelona alive in the race forLa Liga while being three points adrift of Real Madrid.[36][37]
On 29 May 2017, ter Stegen signed a new contract with Barcelona, keeping him at the club until 2022, with his buyout clause raised to €180 million.[38]
On 14 October 2017, ter Stegen made some critical saves, including two well-placed shots fromAntoine Griezmann of Atlético Madrid, en route to a 1–1 draw at the newly-rebuiltWanda Metropolitano, preserving Barcelona's unbeaten record in the2017–18 La Liga season.[39] On 28 October 2017, ter Stegen produced a phenomenal display against Athletic Bilbao in an eventual 2–0 win for Barcelona, denyingAritz Aduriz from a one-on-one position and producing a brilliant diving effort from the same opponent with five minutes remaining on the clock.[40] As of 20 November 2017, ter Stegen, assisted by the guidance of the manager at that timeErnesto Valverde, along with the good form of teammate and defenderSamuel Umtiti, was responsible for Barcelona having the fewest goals conceded of any club inEurope's top five leagues, with just four conceded.[41] On 22 November 2017, ter Stegen saved a 90th minute shot fromPaulo Dybala against Juventus, which was similar to a shot he had scored against ter Stegen in the previous season's Champions League defeat.[42] The result was good enough to secure a draw and a first place position in Group D, qualifying Barcelona to the2017–18 UEFA Champions League knockout phase. At this point, ter Stegen had saved 23 of his last 24 shots on target for a 96% save percentage.[43]
On 17 April 2018, ter Stegen captained Barcelona for the first time in a 2–2 draw against Celta Vigo at theBalaídos in the absence of regular captainsAndrés Iniesta andLionel Messi, with the two starting on the bench.[44]
Ter Stegen playing againstReal Betis in March 2019
On 12 August, 2018, ter Stegen started for Barcelona in the2018 Supercopa de España, in which the club defeated Sevilla 2–1 to win the title, with ter Stegen making a late penalty save to secure the victory.[45]
ter Stegen won his fourth La Liga title with Barcelona, and reached thesemi-finals of the2018–19 UEFA Champions League, where his team was eliminated from the competition after losing 3–4 on aggregate againstLiverpool, including a 0–4 loss atAnfield in the second leg.[46]
On 28 September 2019, ter Stegen provided an assist toLuis Suárez for the first goal in a 2–0away win overGetafe, becoming the first Barcelona goalkeeper to provide an assist in La Liga in the 21st century.[47][48] On 6 October, ter Stegen marked his 200th game forBarça with a clean sheet in a 4–0 home win againstSevilla.[49] He provided another assist on 7 December to Griezmann for the first goal in a 5–2 home victory vsMallorca.[50]For the first time in his Barça career, ter Stegen kept five consecutive clean sheets. The fifth was against Athletic Bilbao in a 1–0 win on 23 June 2020.[51] On 14 August 2020, he allowed eight goals in the2–8 defeat against eventual winners Bayern Munich in the2019–20 UEFA Champions League quarter-final inLisbon.[52]
After the end of the previous season, it was announced that ter Stegen underwent a successful knee surgery which would be keeping him out of the team for over two months.[53] He missed several matches and was replaced byNeto.
On 20 October, 2020, ter Stegen extended his contract with Barcelona that would keep him at the club until 30 June 2025, with a buy-out clause of €500 million.[54]
On 6 January 2021, in a 3–2 league victory against Athletic Bilbao at theSan Mamés, ter Stegen reached 250 appearances for Barcelona in all competitions, making him the goalkeeper with the fifth–most appearances in the club's history.[56]
That year, he won theCopa del Rey with the club against the previous runners-up Athletic Bilbao 4–0.[57]
ter Stegen did not win any trophies with the side and the latter came second in La Liga. Barcelona were knocked out in the Champions League group stage and then knocked out in the quarter-finals of theEuropa League byEintracht Frankfurt.[58] The season ended with a 2–0 loss at home toVillarreal.[59]
On 30 December 2022, ter Stegen was named Barcelona's fourth captain, afterGerard Piqué's retirement.[60]
ter Stegen won his fifthLa Liga title with Barcelona. Leading a Barcelona defence bolstered by the signings ofJules Koundé andAndreas Christensen, ter Stegen won his firstZamora Trophy for conceding just 18 goals in 38 appearances. In addition, his 26 clean sheets equalledPaco Liaño's La Liga record set in the1993–94 season.[61] Despite Barcelona's La Liga success, they were knocked out of the Champions League group stage and then eliminated from the Europa League in the knockout round play-offs byManchester United.[62]
On 11 August 2024, followingSergi Roberto's departure from the club, ter Stegen was announced as Barça's new captain.[65] Following a rupturedpatellar tendon injury during the match againstVillarreal in September, he was ruled out for most of the2024–25 season.[66] Despite his injury, he lifted his first trophy as captain on 12 January 2025, following a 5–2 victory over Real Madrid in theSupercopa de España final.[67] On 3 May 2025, he returned from injury, starting in a 2–1 away victory againstReal Valladolid.[68]
In July 2025, head coachHansi Flick reportedly informed ter Stegen that he would be relegated to third-choice goalkeeper following the arrival ofJoan García and the contract extension ofWojciech Szczęsny.[69] A month later, ter Stegen was temporarily stripped of the club captaincy after facing disciplinary action for refusing to share his medical data with La Liga, which could have enabled the club to register new players depending on the expected duration of his absence.[70] Afterwards, ter Stegen signed the necessary authorization, the disciplinary case was closed, and he was reinstated as first-team captain.[71] Later that year, on 16 December, he played his first match of the season in a 2–0 away win overGuadalajara in theCopa del Rey.[72]
On 20 January 2026, it was announced that ter Stegen would joinGirona on loan for the remainder of the season.[73] On 31 January, he suffered a hamstring injury in his second appearance againstReal Oviedo, sidelining him for an extended period.[74]
ter Stegen was rewarded for his performances byJoachim Löw, who called him up toGermany's provisional squad forUEFA Euro 2012, but did not make the final 23-man. On 26 May 2012, ter Stegen debuted in a 5–3 loss againstSwitzerland in afriendly match.[77] He stopped a penalty fromLionel Messi in his second international match in a 1–3 loss againstArgentina on 15 August, immediately after coming on followingRon-Robert Zieler's sending off.[78]
ter Stegen was included in Germany'sUEFA Euro 2016 squad,[79] but remained on the bench throughout the entire tournament, as a back-up to starter Manuel Neuer; Germany reached the semi-finals, and were eliminated following a 2–0 loss to hostsFrance.[80]
At the2017 FIFA Confederations Cup, ter Stegen started in all of his team's matches, apart from the first group-stage match, as Germany went on to win the tournament. For his performance inthe final against Chile, he was named theMan of the Match.[81]
On 15 May 2018, ter Stegen was included in Germany's provisional 27-man squad for the2018 FIFA World Cup.[82] Löw included ter Stegen in Germany's final 23-man squad for the World Cup on 4 June 2018.[83]
In September 2019, ter Stegen engaged in a minor war of words with Manuel Neuer over the first-choice goalkeeper spot for Germany.[84][85]
In May 2021, ter Stegen was omitted from Germany'sUEFA Euro 2020 squad after opting to undergo surgery to treat an injury to thepatellar tendon in his right knee.[86]
ter Stegen was included in Germany's 26-man squad for the2022 FIFA World Cup held inQatar.[87] He was an unused substitute for all the matches.
ter Stegen was named in Germany's squad forUEFA Euro 2024.[88] Following the conclusion of the tournament, he became Germany's first-choice goalkeeper after Neuer retired from international football.[89]
ter Stegen has been described as a tall, agile and consistent goalkeeper, with quick reflexes, good decision-making and excellent shot-stopping abilities between the posts; he is also strong in the air, good in one-on-one situations, and effective at communicating with his back-line courtesy of his strong personality. Due to his ability to read the game and speed when rushing off his line, he is able to anticipate opponents outside the area who have beaten the offside trap. Being highly competent with the ball at his feet, he is known for his control and accurate distribution of the ball, and often functions as asweeper-keeper, due to his ability to play the ball out from the back. He often uses his legs to close down players and to make crucial saves in what has been described as a 'German goalkeeping style'.[90] Moreover, he possesses good fundamental goalkeeping technique, and a strong positional sense.[91] In 2020, formerSpain and Barcelona goalkeeperSalvador Sadurní noted that ter Stegen's style of play is very similar to that of his German compatriot Manuel Neuer.[92] Regarded as a highly promising player in his youth,[93] he has since established himself as one of the best goalkeepers in world football.[5][94][7][8][9]
ter Stegen was born inMönchengladbach, North Rhine-Westphalia.[95] He is of Dutch descent through his father.[96] He married his longtime girlfriend, Daniela Jehle, inSitges, nearBarcelona.[97] On 28 December 2019, she gave birth to their first child, Ben.[98] On 6 March 2025, he announced via social media that he had split up with his wife, Daniela.[99][100]
^"Favre soll Gladbach retten" (in German). Abendzeitung München. 14 February 2011.Archived from the original on 1 February 2014. Retrieved22 June 2013.
^"Llega Ter Stegen y se va Pinto" [Ter Stegen arrives and Pinto leaves] (in Spanish). FC Barcelona. 19 May 2014.Archived from the original on 23 March 2016. Retrieved19 May 2014.
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