Ter Stegen on his rivalry with Neuer: this is the most bitter moment of my career

Marc-André ter Stegen, the Barcelona goalkeeper on loan at Ajax Amsterdam, spoke candidly about his years of rivalry with Manuel Neuer for the goalkeeping spot in the Germany national team, admitting that he felt frustrated at certain periods.

Ter Stegen sometimes believed he deserved greater opportunities to play. Yet he stressed his respect for the coaches' decisions and his deep appreciation for the Bayern Munich goalkeeper.

In an interview with the German newspaper "Sport Bild", Ter Stegen was asked about the challenge of playing in the same era as Neuer, with two world-class goalkeepers chasing a single spot.

"The truth is that Manuel Neuer is not just a great goalkeeper," the German said. "Let's not fool ourselves, he is probably one of the greatest goalkeepers of all time. He also enjoyed great respect within the national team, and he deserved it."

"But injuries also held him back, and who knows better than I do, unfortunately, what that means?" he added. "Nevertheless, I believe that having a certain amount of competition pushes the goalkeeper who gets the chance to play to develop. That is how it was between us."

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"Of course, the question remains: would I have preferred to be the goalkeeper who plays?" he continued. "Certainly! But the coaches who worked with us in the national team chose Manuel. You have to respect that, and I have to accept it, that is simply part of football."

He admitted he did not always hide his frustration. "Were there times when I had to suppress my anger and keep my frustration to myself? And did I sometimes curse under my breath when no one was listening to me? Certainly!"

"There were also moments when I felt that I perhaps deserved a greater chance," he went on.

Then came the 2018 World Cup in Russia. Neuer returned to the national team after roughly eight months out through injury and was handed the first-choice spot despite barely playing an official match beforehand. Ter Stegen called that episode the most painful of all.

"That was the most bitter moment for me, but I do not want to go back to talking about it," he said. "In the end, the coach is the one who makes the decision. You can feel as angry as you like, but that will not change anything."

The rivalry between the two goalkeepers runs back years. Neuer stayed Germany's number one even after a serious injury in September 2017 kept him off the pitch for nearly eight months, a broken metatarsal that required surgery.

Ter Stegen stepped into the national team's goal during that absence and impressed, convincing himself his chance of starting at the 2018 World Cup had come within reach.

Joachim Löw, Germany's manager at the time, had other ideas. He restored Neuer to the starting line-up before the World Cup, handing him a friendly against Austria in June 2018 despite his long spell away.

Neuer started all three group-stage matches. Ter Stegen sat on the bench as Germany crashed out in the first round for the first time since 1938.