- Ter Stegen salutes Neuer: "Eternally an icon," and the other two find themselves in a comparable situation.
Marc-André ter Stegen recently gave a shout-out to Manuel Neuer on his Instagram, praising the German football legend for his successful career with the national team. "Bravo on your DFB team tenure! A lifelong World Cup champion and an icon of German football," wrote the 32-year-old Barcelona keeper. He accompanied the message with an image of Neuer triumphantly holding the World Cup trophy in 2014.
For quite some time, ter Stegen — a 32-year-old goalie for FC Barcelona — has been vying with the six-year-senior Neuer for the top spot in the German national team. Despite often finishing second, ter Stegen is now optimistic about potentially becoming the starting keeper for the DFB, given Neuer's retirement, as they gear up for the 2026 World Cup.
Neuer announced his departure from the national team after 15 years of service. After securing eight major titles between the posts, the 2014 World Cup champion is hanging up his gloves. From now on, Neuer will just concentrate on his role at FC Bayern Munich.
Ter Stegen expressed his hope to potentially replace Neuer as the starting keeper for the DFB team, given the latter's retirement. The DFB team has relied heavily on Neuer's exceptional skills over the years, and his departure might open up opportunities for other goalkeepers like ter Stegen.
