Germany’s preparations are underway ahead of their first match after hosting the European Championships, when they will take on Hungary in Düsseldorf on Saturday (kick-off 20:45 CEST). National team keeper Marc-André ter Stegen (32) of FC Barcelona spoke about his new role as his country’s number one, past disappointments and the 2026 World Cup.
Marc-André ter Stegen on...
…his new role as Germany number one: It was obviously a very peculiar feeling when arriving here to a largely unchanged squad, only by three or four players. I am looking forward to the new challenges that await and want to be successful, of course. It was so lovely to hear all the kind words about me from my teammates and the coach – it really warms your heart. My goal was always to become the number one but that didn’t really go my way over the last decade. I had Manuel Neuer ahead of me, someone who has had an incredible career, and who was able to withstand the pressure of a challenger for his position. Once again I want to congratulate him on everything that he has achieved, both with the national team and at club level.
…past disappointments: There are always instances where you think that it’s just not going to happen for you. In the last few years, there have been some close calls that mostly all went in Manuel Neuer’s favour. I think that I remained professional about it all, but I was often very disappointed. It’s just something that happens and that you have to accept. This has all been talked about a lot over the past few years and I’ve been frustrated at times, but I never let my head drop and my teammates have recognised that too.
…his goals: In the past, I have always had the same aim, simply to play every game and every minute to the best of my ability and that has not changed. In the national squad the consensus is that we just want to be successful and inspire the whole country.
…Neuer, Kroos, Müller and Gündogan all retiring: Whenever you lose a player who has been so influential over a certain period is going to be difficult. We need to bring young players in now who can fulfil those same roles, as has been the policy in recent years. We have a young team and a great captain, so we are well equipped.
…the goalkeeper position in the future: We are already well set-up. We have lots of really good goalkeepers in Germany, who can carry on playing for a long time. We are spoilt for choice right now and then we will see about the future, but that is not something we need to focus on at the moment.
…the Nations League: We obviously want to win every game and give our all each time. The Nations League can be very important for us and we’ve got some great games coming up.
...the 2026 World Cup: Regardless of the tournament, we want to be successful. The most important task for us is to prepare ourselves for that success. You saw that at the European Championships and it got people excited. There was a great atmosphere and that is something we want to maintain. We want to make a great impact at the 2026 World Cup and to be competitive, but that’s still quite a way off (laughs).
