Marc-André ter Stegen: Every Player Can Learn From Lionel Messi’s Mental Strength
Marc-André ter Stegen, who recently saved a last-gasp penalty to ensure Barcelona’s 2-1 Supercup victory over Sevilla, has come out praising his FC Barcelona teammate, Lionel Messi, for his mental strength. “Every player who’s on the field can learn from Leo,” the keeper said. “It’s not just about football, we’re talking about a guy that’s mentally strong. Look at how many years he’s now played at a big level, always scoring, doing the work he’s doing every day and even getting better. This is what everybody could learn.”
The German said Messi was an “idol to everybody” because he is always looking to strengthen his skills. “He just wants to make himself and the team better,” he said, “and everyone should think like this.”
Ter Stegen praised Messi’s personality, aside from his footballing skills and mentality. “It’s very easy to work with him,” the keeper said. “He’s a very humble guy, everybody has a good opinion about him -- and when it comes to football, there are no words for what he’s capable of doing on the field.”
Another interesting bit - when asked about Cristiano Ronaldo, Ter Stegen says the loss of Andrés Iniesta is comparable.
Of course, he was a very important player for Real Madrid and he will be a very important player for Juventus as well. For us, it doesn’t really change. They have so many good players that we need to be aware of. They’ll have a good season. It’s not just about Cristiano Ronaldo, even if he had a big impact for them. As I said before, we lost Andres Iniesta, who was a big personality and a wonderful player, and I think for them it will almost be the same.