"Proud" Ter Stegen causes a novelty in Spain
Marc-André ter Stegen is not only the best goalkeeper in the Spanish league, the DFB goalkeeper is even the best of all players in La Liga. It is a historic honor.
Marc-André ter Stegen of FC Barcelona has been voted the best player of the past season in the Spanish Primera División. In addition to the Alfredo Di Stéfano Trophy, which is awarded by the sports newspaper "Marca", the German international goalkeeper also received the Zamora Award for best goalkeeper. Ter Stegen is the first goalkeeper ever to be honored as the league's best player. Teammate Robert Lewandowski was honored as the top scorer.
"It's a proud moment to receive both the Zamora Trophy and the MVP for the 22/23 LaLiga season," the 31-year-old commented at X. "I think there have been many goalkeepers who have done a great job. These awards are very nice, but they are achieved thanks to the team," said ter Stegen at the awards ceremony. "The defensive stability was spectacular."
On the way to the league title, ter Stegen and FC Barcelona conceded just 20 goals in 38 league games. The German goalkeeper, who recently missed the DFB internationals due to back problems, did not concede a goal in 26 games.
Eternal top scorer Lewandowski
Ter Stegen moved from Borussia Mönchengladbach to FC Barcelona for the 2014/2015 season, and the 31-year-old had never previously won the award for best goalkeeper of the season in Spain.
Team-mate Lewandowski, on the other hand, is used to receiving individual awards: This is the ninth time the Pole has been top scorer: once in the Polish Ekstraklasa for Lech Poznan, seven times in the Bundesliga for FC Bayern and Borussia Dortmund - and now for FC Barcelona. "I would like to thank the team and the coach, who have helped me a lot," said Lewandowski on his grand entrance. "That hasn't stopped my hunger for more. We are Barça and there is still a long season ahead of us."
The goalscorer is currently only in joint fourth place in the list of the season's top scorers with seven goals. Jude Bellingham is in the lead. The former Dortmund player, who has been scoring for Barça's great rivals Real Madrid since this season, has already scored ten times in the first eleven games of the season.
Source: www.ntv.de
