Barcelona goalkeeper Marc-Andre ter Stegen says he is nothing like former Barca stopper Victor Valdes.
In an interview with ‘Panenka’ magazine, the Germany international was asked about what it takes to be a modern keeper and what their attributes should be.
“What makes a modern goalkeeper is that he has to be good with his feet, whilst he should always be attentive behind the defence in case there is a ball over the top he has to anticipate,” claimed the 26-year-old former Borussia Monchengladbach man.
“Of course, at Barca they have always had a brave keeper who is good with his feet, who helped the team, since the time of Victor Valdes.
“But I’m not like Valdes and didn’t want to be. My idol was Oliver Kahn. Our style is different but I focused on him because of his mentality.”
Ter Stegen also highlighted the importance of being in a team where the characteristics of the player fit in with the football.
“There are goalkeepers who fit perfectly into every style, like Ederson and Bravo at Manchester City, and others like Buffon who is good in Turin. But if you made a change, say if I played for Juventus and Buffon at Barca, I would not be who I am now,” he asserted.
The German was also complimentary towards Andoni Zubizarreta, the former sporting director who brought him to the Catalan capital and now occupies a similar role with Marseille.
“I liked that he wanted to meet me in person and he told me some interesting things: the style, the mentality, the culture of the club. He said the Barca goal seems bigger than it is.
“I wanted to be No 1 here. And certainly, when I found out it was Bravo, it was difficult. He was an international, had won titles, and had more experience,” he concluded.
