Marc-Andre ter Stegen Admits Culture & Identity Has Played Major Part in Barcelona Feeling Like Home

Marc-Andre ter Stegen has admitted that he is so comfortable in Catalonia that he feels more at home in Barcelona than in his home city of Monchengladbach.

Barcelona signed Ter Stegen from Borussia Monchengladbach in 2014, and he has now made over 160 appearances for the club, establishing himself as one of the best goalkeepers in the world.

MB Media/GettyImages

The 26-year-old explained that he has settled really well in Barcelona over the last four years, and he believes that feeling at ease in the city is one of the key reasons for his success.

"It was very important for me to go to a city that I could identify with," he told Libero magazine (via Marca).

"I think that if you get to a place that doesn't convince you, you can't be comfortable for many years and feel good.

ADRIAN DENNIS/GettyImages

"Some players don't care much, but I do, and now I almost feel better here than in the city where I was born.

"It's necessary for a player to adapt and not only in a purely football sense, but also culturally, to integrate in the country and the region in order to feel at ease."

In his first season at the club, Ter Stegen was Barcelona's cup goalkeeper, playing every match on their way to winning the Champions League in 2014/15.

It was only in 2016, after the sale of Claudio Bravo to Manchester City, that Ter Stegen assumed full time goalkeeping duties. He has only missed three La Liga matches since the start of the 2016/17 season.

This year he was named on the shortlist for the FIFA FIFPro World 11 at the Best FIFA Football Awards. It was his first nomination, but he was beaten by David De Gea.