New Barcelona goalkeeper Marc-Andre Ter Stegen says he is honoured and privileged to have signed for the club.
The 22-year-old completed his move to Camp Nou from Borussia Monchengladbach this morning, signing a deal until 2019.
He faced the media for the first time as a Blaugrana player this afternoon at a Press conference, where he told the journalists gathered that he never had a second thought about moving to Catalunya.
“I don’t speak very much Spanish or Catalan but it’s important that I try to speak in Spanish,” began Ter Stegen in Spanish.
“Thank you to everyone for the very kind welcome. I’m very happy to be here and I hope to be successful at Barca.
“Right from the start, Barca told me how important I was for their system. It’s a privilege and an honour and I’m very happy to have the confidence of Barca for the coming years.
“It is a fantastic club and I never had second thoughts about coming. This club is very special and has great tradition.
“Offers like these don’t come along every day, Barca are one of the biggest clubs in the world. For me I think it is a personal challenge. I hope that we can play an effective style of football.
“Defending this goal will be the best thing in my life. I intend to give it everything I’ve got. I want to adapt well and play good football.
“When I heard about their interest for the first time, I smiled from ear to ear! It was my dream to come here. There is no better place than Barcelona.”
Ter Stagen then answered questions on his predecessor Victor Valdes, as well as his new Coach Luis Enrique and his idol, Oliver Kahn.
“Valdes is an extraordinary goalkeeper who has done a lot for the club. He showed excellent form and he won a lot of titles. But I know what I can do, Barca have been watching me and that is an honour. I now have a lot to do.
“It’s important to have a reference, someone who inspires me. It was Oliver Kahn. It was important to have someone you could refer to and in Germany we have the fortune to have had great goalkeepers.
“But now I have my own style and I am myself.
“Tomorrow I will see Luis Enrique for the first time and I am very happy. He has experience and had a great career. He can help us a lot, he is the ideal person.”
Finally, the shot-stopper commented on the current Barca squad and football philosophy.
“We have a very good team. There are world class guys here, to single one out is very difficult.
“There are few teams with such important players and such personality. Messi is the best in the world and I think he is a symbol of the club.
“Barca have shown they have a great philosophy of playing the game and it is a pleasure to see them play.
“I want to put myself at the service of the team. I can bring things. In Germany Barca are seen as one of the biggest clubs in the world.
“Even people who don’t watch football know that they are a very aesthetically pleasing team. It’s difficult for the opponents to get the ball when the machine clicks into gear!”
