Ter Stegen targets Germany No.1 spot

Barcelona goalkeeper Marc-Andre ter Stegen has set his sights on replacing Manuel Neuer as Germany’s first-choice goalkeeper.

Bayern Munich star Neuer has been Joachim Low’s regular starter since before the 2010 World Cup, with Ter Stegen established as his back-up in recent years.

Neuer has captained his country since Bastian Schweinsteiger’s international retirement in 2016, but Ter Stegen wants to take his place between the sticks.

“Of course, you hope to play. Now my expectations are to keep improving in order to become Germany’s number one,” he said in quotes reported by Sport.

Semifinals !! #DesireToWin@ChampionsLeague @FCBarcelona pic.twitter.com/bxZUhKwKUT

— Marc ter Stegen (@mterstegen1) April 16, 2019

Ter Stegen was guilty of making some high-profile mistakes early on in his international career, but he insists those errors have made him grow as a player.

“Those experiences make you stronger,” the 26-year-old explained.

“The goalkeeper is the last man and you can make mistakes. There are errors I’d like to forget about, or that I’d love to go back in time and change.

“Now I handle it better. Mistakes happen but you must keep improving.”