Marc-André ter Stegen is a prime example of patience and perseverance in the world of football. For 12 long years, he served as a reserve goalkeeper, waiting for his chance to shine as Germany’s number one following Manuel Neuer’s retirement. His journey to the top is a remarkable story, one that hasn’t been widely heard among football fans.
The Early Life and Rise of Marc-André ter Stegen: A Football Story
Preamble:
Ter Stegen’s story begins with his modest upbringing. Born into a Catholic family, he was raised by his mother, Renate Kaus, and his father, Erich Kaus. Football entered Marc’s life at the tender age of two, when he began playing the sport with his older brother near their house, often between garages.
By the time he was three, Marc had already mastered some early skills in the game, not as a goalkeeper, but as a striker. His natural talent caught the attention of his grandfather, who took a keen interest in mentoring him.
With his parents’ support, Marc was enrolled in a local youth team. Reflecting on those days, he recalls, “My granddad was a lot like my mother and father. They all took me to training and took turns supporting me.”
Initially, young ter Stegen was focused on scoring goals, but a sudden twist of fate changed everything. His local team once found themselves without a goalkeeper, and while most of his teammates shied away from the position, Marc stepped up to volunteer.
From that moment on, he fell in love with goalkeeping and decided to pursue it wholeheartedly. And so began the journey of Marc-André ter Stegen, a journey that would eventually see him rise to become one of the world’s best goalkeepers. Now, let’s dive deeper into the remarkable story of the Goalkeeper who bears the nickname; “Messi with gloves“.
Marc-Andre ter Stegen Childhood Story – Early Life and Family Background:
For Biography starters, German Goalkeeping Legend Marc-André ter Stegen arrived in the world on the 30th day of April, 1992. His birthplace is Mönchengladbach (Germany).
Marc-Andre ter Stegen was born in a Catholic home to his mother, Renate Kausa, and father, Erich Kaus.
His surname, ter Stegen, is not common in Germany these days, but it owes its origin to his Dutch ancestry. Ter Stegen grew up with his only brother, Jean-Marcel ter Stegen.
At the tender age of 2, Ter Stegen started playing football with his elder brother near their house between garages.
And at the age of three, he has already learned early moves in the game.
This achievement led his grandfather, along with his parents, to sign him up for a local youth team, providing him with the opportunity to display his newfound talent.
As Ter Stegen explains:
“My granddad was a lot like my mother and father. They all took me to training, no matter the weather—rain or snow. They never got involved in the daily football matters because, in the end, the coach decides if you play. They never put pressure on me, and that helped me a lot.”
How ter Stegen became a goalkeeper:
Young Marc-Andre ter Stegen began pursuing his dreams quite early.
Back then, ter Stegen’s objectives were to score many goals until he changed his mind.
Suddenly, he just fell in love with the idea of goalkeeping as his local team once ran out of one. While the other teammates didn’t like the idea of goalkeeping, ter Stegen decided to volunteer.
It is important to note that one of his coaches motivated him to volunteer for the goalkeeping position because he did not like the way ter Stegen ran while he played in the middle of the field.
Ter Stegen happily recalled after his first goalkeeping match;
“I started to like how everyone treated me as a goalkeeper. They always told me ‘you did pretty well.’ Since that moment, I never left the goal post. I’m happy with my journey.”
Road to Fame Story:
Marc-Andre ter Stegen left his local club at the age of 5 after his parents successfully enrolled him on Borussia Mönchengladbach’s youth academy, which is located at the heart of his hometown.
Much like Marcus Rashford in Manchester and Matthias Ginter, Ter Stegen was adored by the local Mönchengladbach fans, who viewed him as one of their own.
ter Stegen: From a hometown hero at Borussia Mönchengladbach’s academy at 5 to a beloved figure among local fans.
Ter Stegen spent a whopping 14 years (1996 to 2010) at the youth academy, outgrowing all goalkeeping ranks before being promoted to the club’s senior team.
He began his senior career in 2010 at his hometown club, Borussia Mönchengladbach. In that same season, he positioned himself as the top backup goalkeeper. While he had a fairly successful season personally, his first-team teammates struggled, fighting to avoid relegation.
While the senior side was seemingly failing in their efforts to avoid relegation, their manager, Michael Frontzeck, was replaced by Lucien Favre, who instilled more discipline in the team that saw results improve.
Despite the resulting improvement, someone in the team had a nasty behavioural attitude, which cost the team. It came from their first-choice goalkeeper, Logan Bailly, as he held the team back.
The fans of Mönchengladbach were quick to criticize the Belgian international, with some claiming he focused more on his modeling career than on his football.
Marc-Andre ter Stegen Bio – Success Story:
However, Ter Stegen’s progress for the reserve team had not gone unnoticed by the supporters. The new manager was pressured to start the young prodigy in the league.
Patience was totally lost with Bailly, which saw him relegated to the bench in favour of ter Stegen.
The young German did not disappoint; he made the defence to be boasted with an unseen solidity. Keeping enough clean sheets, his team got saved from relegation.
FC Barcelona scouts who were looking for a Victor Valdes replacement noticed his dominance after his continuous strings of world-class saves for his club.
On May 19, 2014, Marc-André ter Stegen was revealed as the new goalkeeper for Barcelona, stepping in after Víctor Valdés and José Manuel Pinto left the club.
At FC Barcelona, his displays earned him a reputation as one of Europe’s finest, something Inaki Pena Sotorres, his successor, has learnt from. The rest, as they say, is now history.
About Daniela Jehle – Marc-Andre ter Stegen’s Wife:
Behind every great man, there’s a great woman, or so the saying goes. And behind almost every German goalkeeper, there’s a glamorous wife or girlfriend.
Mar-Andre ter Stegen has a Love Life. Daniela Jehle is the former girlfriend and present wife of Ter Stegen.
Both started their relationship as teenagers, which took them from best friend status to true love, as pictured below.
Meet Daniela Jehle and Marc-Andre ter Stegen.
Daniela Jehle has four siblings: two sisters named Katharina and Stefanie, one brother named Timo and a half-sister named Lynn.
The Dutch beauty had her high school in San Diego, California. Because of her lover (Ter Stegen, she decided to continue her university education (architecture studies) in Barcelona.
Marc-Andre ter Stegen and his girlfriend Daniela Jehle 2017 had a small wedding ceremony near Barcelona. Shot-stopper ter Stegen proved he is a proper keeper by tying the knot after dating OR keeping the Dutch beauty for five years.
Daniela Jehle and Marc-Andre ter Stegen’s wedding photo.
Jehle and ter Stegen have a dog named Bali who went missing on Christmas 2012 but was found. Bali keeps Daniela Jehle relaxed when her man is off for training or to play for his club.
Marc-Andre ter Stegen Interview:
The Goalkeeper, who has more than 400 stats for Barca, once gave an exclusive interview to the Catalan daily Sport
Q: Is it true that one of your coaches did not like the way you ran, and that caused you to become a goalkeeper?
A: Ter Stegen smiles and responds,
“Yes, it seems strange, but it’s true. It was very hard for me to accept it at first, but it was the best decision I made in my life.
He said he just didn’t like the way I ran. I just tried to focus on being good as a goalkeeper.”
Q: Valdés and Mascherano once said, rather than enjoying football, they’ve been suffering. Do you ever have bad times?
A: Ter Stegen responds,
“I enjoy what I do, 100%. Each person is different, but I love what I do on the field. I have companions that I get along with well and they allow me to easily play with them.
That allows me to play as I like. That’s why I’m here; I love football. I have excellent teammates. For me, there’s no way you can’t enjoy football.”
Q: The GK is prone to making the most errors. What do you do to overcome mistakes and how do you manage them mentally?
A: Ter Stegen responds,
“Making mistakes is something a human does, that’s why I treat it that way. In the end, we all fail. There are always things that can be improved.
I always try to avoid failures. Mistakes are concepts. If mistakes are a concept of failure, it is different from a failure that comes because you have taken too many risks; you can avoid mistakes.”
Q: How do you cope with the pressure?
A: Ter Stegen responds,
“Each person has a different personality. For me, I like to talk to people. When I’m at home, I like to talk with my wife.
She doesn’t really care about football, but she’s really close to me and that helps me a lot.”
Q: You always mention Oliver Kahn as one of your influences. Why?
A: Ter Stegen responds,
“Yes, especially because of his mentality. He never lost his mind, no mater what he did. Of course, he didn’t care, but you never felt that it affected him personally. There are things that happen to you in football and there are things that happen to you on a personal level.”
Personal Life:
- Ter Stegen is Practical and well-grounded. He is someone who loves to harvest the fruits of his labour. Te Stegen sees things from a grounded, practical and realistic perspective.
- Ter Stegen is someone who feels the need to be surrounded by love and beauty. This he sees in his wife, Daniela Jehle.
- Ter Stegen is sensual, tactile and considers touch and taste the most important of all senses.
- Thanks to his parental support, Ter Stegen grew up to become a stable and conservative person. He is someone who is ready to endure and stick to his choices until they reaches the point of personal satisfaction.
Marc-Andre ter Stegen Family Life:
His supportive parents, Renate Kaus and Erich Kaus, made Ter Stegen benefit a lot from their support during his early career days.
With their support for his decisions, their son continued to grow and succeed in his goalkeeping trade, thus making him the person he’s known to be today.
Marc-Andre ter Stegen Brother:
As stated earlier, ter Stegen has an elder brother named Jean Marcel. He is six years older than ter Stegen.
Both brothers started playing football near their house between garages. Before ter Stegen became a goalkeeper, Juan Marcel assisted him in learning how to shoot with both legs.
Denies his Nickname:
Marc-Andre ter Stegen once made a move to distance himself from comparisons to Lionel Messi despite being handed the nickname ‘Messi with gloves’. This came when the German stopper was overpraised for his passing ability and smart distribution.
After being compared in technical ability to Ballon d’or winning Messi, ter Stegen moved to separate himself from the flattering moniker.
Fact Check:
Thanks for reading our Marc-André ter Stegen Childhood Story plus untold biography facts. We strive for accuracy and fairness in our quest to deliver you the stories of European Footballers.
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