Marc-André ter Stegen (German pronunciation: [ˌmaʁk ʔanˈdʁeː teːɐ̯ ˈsteːɡn̩] ; born 30 April 1992) is a German professional footballer who plays as a goalkeeper for Eredivisie club Ajax, on loan from La Liga club Barcelona, and the Germany national team. He is known for his reflexes, passing, and ball-playing.
After four seasons in the Bundesliga with Borussia Mönchengladbach, making 108 league appearances, Ter Stegen joined Barcelona for €12 million in 2014. He won the treble in his first season in Spain, playing for Barcelona in Copa del Rey and UEFA Champions League.
Ter Stegen represented Germany at several youth levels and made his senior international debut in 2012. He was part of the German squads that reached the semi-finals of UEFA Euro 2016 and won the 2017 FIFA Confederations Cup, and was also a member of the German side that took part at the 2018 FIFA World Cup, 2022 FIFA World Cup and UEFA Euro 2024.
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Club career
Borussia Mönchengladbach
Ter Stegen began his career at hometown team Borussia Mönchengladbach. In the first half of the 2010–11 season, he established himself as the star of their 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 14 February 2011, 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.
The team’s 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 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 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 four 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 Mönchengladbach secured a famous 1–0 victory.
Ter Stegen's status as first-choice goalkeeper was inevitable when Bailly was sent on loan to Swiss side Neuchâtel Xamax and the No.1 shirt was delegated to Ter Stegen, who had previously worn 21.
During the summer transfer window, Bayern Munich had succeeded in their drawn-out pursuit of Schalke 04's captain Manuel Neuer. The German international made his debut against Ter Stegen's Mönchengladbach at the Allianz 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 youngster Marco Reus providing the inspiration for Mönchengladbach.
Barcelona
On 19 May 2014, Ter Stegen was announced as the new goalkeeper of Spanish club Barcelona, with goalkeeper Claudio Bravo, after the departures of Víctor Valdés and José Manuel Pinto, effective during the summer transfer window. 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). After the move, Ter Stegen said joining the club was the right move and that he aimed to settle at the club.
Ter Stegen suffered an injury prior to the first league match of the season. Due to this injury, Barcelona manager Luis Enrique made Bravo the starting league goalkeeper, where he would go on to win the Zamora Trophy. Ter Stegen, ended up not playing at all in Barça's victorious league campaign, but he was made the first-choice goalkeeper in both the Copa del Rey matches and in the UEFA Champions League. He made his debut in the latter tournament on 17 September, keeping a clean sheet in a 1–0 home win over APOEL. He helped Barcelona win the final of the domestic Copa Del Rey cup in his first season, a 3–1 victory against Athletic Bilbao on 30 May 2015. A week later, he played in the Champions League Final at the Olympiastadion in Berlin, a 3–1 win over Juventus. He won the "Best Save" award for his spectacular "goal-line" save against Bayern Munich, in the second leg of the Champions League semi-final.
His second season opened with victory in the 2015 UEFA Super Cup against Sevilla in Tbilisi 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. He made his La Liga debut on 12 September 2015 in a match against Atlético Madrid, which Barcelona won 2–1.
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."
Ter Stegen picked up injuries at the start of the season, due to which he missed the Supercopa de España and league matches. He became Barcelona's first-choice goalkeeper after Claudio Bravo left for Manchester City on 25 August 2016. On 13 September 2016, Ter Stegen gave away and saved a penalty from Moussa Dembélé which kept the score at 1–0 and which eventually led to a 7–0 victory for Barcelona against Celtic in the UEFA Champions League. 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 against Celta Vigo. He later apologized and said that he would not change his playing style. He later received positive reviews for his role in Barcelona's 6–1 comeback victory against Paris Saint-Germain in the 2nd leg of the Champions League round-of-16 for receiving a crucial foul from Paris Saint-Germain midfielder Marco Verratti in the opposition half – which led to Sergi Roberto's crucial 94th-minute winner that kept Barcelona in the hunt for the Champions League. As a result, Barcelona qualified for the Champions League quarterfinals, where they were eventually eliminated by Juventus. Ter Stegen proved to be even more decisive in the second league El Clásico that season by producing a staggering 12 saves in a 3–2 victory at the Santiago Bernabéu against Real Madrid, which kept Barcelona alive in the race for La Liga while being three points adrift of Real Madrid.
International career
Youth
In 2009, Ter Stegen participated on the winning team of the UEFA European Under-17 Championship.
On 27 June 2015, Ter Stegen conceded five goals in Germany U21s' match against Portugal U21 in the semi-finals of the UEFA European Under-21 Championship in Czech Republic.
Senior
Ter Stegen was rewarded for his performances by Joachim Löw, who called him up to Germany's provisional squad for UEFA Euro 2012, but did not make the final 23-man. On 26 May 2012, Ter Stegen debuted in a 5–3 loss against Switzerland in a friendly match. He stopped a penalty from Lionel Messi in his second international match in a 1–3 loss against Argentina on 15 August, immediately after coming on following Ron-Robert Zieler's sending off.
Ter Stegen was included in Germany's UEFA Euro 2016 squad, 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 hosts France.
At the 2017 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 in the final against Chile, he was named the Man of the Match.
On 15 May 2018, Ter Stegen was included in Germany's provisional 27-man squad for the 2018 FIFA World Cup. Löw included Ter Stegen in Germany's final 23-man squad for the World Cup on 4 June 2018.
In September 2019, Ter Stegen engaged in a minor war of words with Manuel Neuer over the first-choice goalkeeper spot for Germany.
In May 2021, Ter Stegen was omitted from Germany's UEFA Euro 2020 squad after opting to undergo surgery to treat an injury to the patellar tendon in his right knee.
Ter Stegen was included in Germany's 26-man squad for the 2022 FIFA World Cup held in Qatar. He was an unused substitute for all the matches.
Ter Stegen was named in Germany's squad for UEFA Euro 2024 on home soil, serving as a back-up to Neuer once again; Germany were eliminated by eventual champions Spain in the quarter-final following a 2–1 loss after extra-time. After the conclusion of the tournament, he became Germany's first-choice goalkeeper after Neuer retired from international football. The following year, he was Germany's starting goalkeeper as the team finished fourth in the 2025 UEFA Nations League Finals on home soil, losing 2–0 to France in the third place play-off. However, a long-term injury caused him to lose his place to Oliver Baumann, while Manuel Neuer came out of international retirement to be included in Germany's squad for the 2026 FIFA World Cup.
Style of play
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 a sweeper-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'. Moreover, he possesses good fundamental goalkeeping technique, and a strong positional sense. In 2020, former Spain and Barcelona goalkeeper Salvador Sadurní noted that Ter Stegen's style of play is very similar to that of his German compatriot Manuel Neuer. Regarded as a highly promising player in his youth, he has since established himself as one of the best goalkeepers in world football.
Personal life
Ter Stegen was born in Mönchengladbach, North Rhine-Westphalia. He is of Dutch descent through his father. He married his longtime girlfriend, Daniela Jehle, in Sitges, near Barcelona. On 28 December 2019, she gave birth to their first child, Ben. On 6 March 2025, he announced via social media that he had split up with his wife, Daniela.
Career statistics
Club
As of match played 5 September 2026
International
As of match played 8 June 2025
Honours
Barcelona
La Liga: 2014–15, 2015–16, 2017–18, 2018–19, 2022–23, 2024–25, 2025–26
Copa del Rey: 2014–15, 2015–16, 2016–17, 2017–18, 2020–21, 2024–25
Supercopa de España: 2018, 2023, 2025, 2026
UEFA Champions League: 2014–15
UEFA Super Cup: 2015
FIFA Club World Cup: 2015
Germany U17
UEFA European Under-17 Championship: 2009
Germany
FIFA Confederations Cup: 2017
Individual
UEFA European Under-17 Championship Team of the Tournament: 2009
Fritz Walter Medal U17 Bronze: 2009
Fritz Walter Medal U19 Gold: 2011
kicker Goalkeeper of the Year: 2012
UEFA Champions League Squad of the Season: 2014–15, 2018–19
UEFA Save of the Season: 2014–15
UEFA Fans' Team of the Year: 2018
ESM Team of the Year: 2017–18, 2018–19, 2019–20, 2022–23
La Liga Zamora Trophy: 2022–23