Performance analysis of 2019 Ballon d’Or nominees for the period Jan to Oct' 19, Part 4: Goalkeepers

#2 Marc Andre ter Stegen (Barcelona, Germany)

Following an erratic start to his playing career, Marc Andre ter Stegen evolved into one of the finest goalkeepers in the world after moving to Barcelona in the summer of 2014.

Ter Stegen, with his good reflexes, decision-making and effective communication with his backline, has all the key attributes for a top goalkeeper. That has been more than evident in 2019; the German has kept 13 clean sheets in 18 Liga games since the turn of the year to help Barcelona to another Spanish top-flight title.

Ter Stegen has been an understudy to Manuel Neuer in the German national team for a while and only featured in two friendlies during the year.

Over the course of his career, Ter Stegen has saved 11 penalties out of 42 faced in all competitions for club or country, which is a rate of roughly 1 penalty save out of every 4 faced.

During the first 10 months of the calendar year, Ter Stegen has kept an impressive 19 clean sheets in 40 games for club and country in all competitions.

About the author

Bhargav is a veteran sports journalist and editor at Sportskeeda, with a rich professional experience of 17 years, working for the likes of Siemens and Bombay Dyeing. An avid football and tennis follower for over three decades, Bhargav uses his vast knowledge and experience, attention to detail, an unbiased yet interesting writing style, and thorough research to craft insightful articles, which have raked in over 18 million reads so far.

Bhargav supports Italy at national level, a team steeped in tradition and history according to him. He still harbors the heartbreak from the Azzurri’s 1994 FIFA World Cup final defeat against Brazil, and protagonist-turned-antagonist from the game, ‘Divine Ponytail’ Roberto Baggio is his all-time favorite player. His favorite manager is Marcelo Lippi, who ended Italy’s 24-year wait for the World Cup trophy, winning it in 2006.

Outside Europe’s top five leagues, he follows the MLS following Lionel Messi’s move in 2023 but favors Cristiano Ronaldo in the G.O.A.T. debate. During his free time, Bhargav enjoys driving off to new places and singing.

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Edited by Musab Abid