Claudio Bravo and Marc André ter Stegen were teammates from 2014 to 2016 for two seasons at FC Barcelona. The experienced Chilean player was the main goalkeeper in the League, while the young German player, who joined the team at 22, played in the Cup and the 2014-15 Champions League, where Barcelona became European champions. Both had a strong number 1 mentality, but eventually, Ter Stegen became the preferred choice, leading to Bravo’s departure. Ter Stegen has since maintained his position as the main goalkeeper, even winning the Zamora Trophy. Bravo spent two seasons at Barcelona, winning the title of goalkeeper with the fewest goals conceded in the League in one of those seasons, with only two goals against him.
Years later, after moving to Manchester City, Bravo shared his experience in an interview with El Legado published by La Tercera. “Ter Stegen realized he couldn’t replace me,” Bravo said.
Looking back on his time with Ter Stegen, the Chilean international, who played 150 times for his country, praised his achievements at Barcelona, a club he joined after a successful spell at Real Sociedad. “Sporting-wise, he couldn’t replace me: in my first 7 games at Barça, I set a record in La Liga by not conceding any goals for 7 games. That was my introduction at Barcelona: 7 games without conceding goals. Of course.. how could they replace me? In the first year, we were champions, I won the Zamora Trophy, and we only conceded around 15 or 16 goals in the league, which is quite rare. It was like my mark of excellence: okay, to replace me, “You have to do more,” he implied.
Bravo vividly remembered the competition between him and Ter Stegen. “It may have seemed like a conflict, like we weren’t friends, but it was quite the opposite. Ultimately, we understood – from our perspective – that when you have a player with more experience and one who is just starting out, like him, our statements would naturally differ,” he explained.
Bravo, who is now 41 years old and currently without a team after playing for Betis until last season, shared insights into what it’s like to be a goalkeeper, a position where only one player can play. “In my role as an older player, my job was usually to step back rather than compete further if there was a high level of competition, as the situation naturally dictated.” You can’t relax, and whoever is playing needs to perform well because the stakes are high; Champions League, League matches, facing top-level players, and the expectations are very demanding,” he emphasized.
Ter Stegen revealed the challenges of working with Zubi
In a recent conversation presented as a documentary by Barça One, Ter Stegen openly discussed his experiences with Andoni Zubizarreta, former Barça goalkeeper and sporting director during the time when the German and the Chilean were at the club, about the tough beginnings in his journey as the team’s goalkeeper. “When you signed me, I was eager to play many games, and it didn’t start well,” Ter Stegen explained in the documentary aired last May. “Now I understand it better. I see what you had in mind when you signed Claudio. Taking a chance on a young goalkeeper like me could have gone either way. Claudio had experience in La Liga and he proved himself during his two years here; He was outstanding. I just had to work hard and be patient.. and that’s what I did,” Ter Stegen shared.
These are the emotions that still linger, even after many years, for two goalkeepers who have made their mark on Barça’s history. Bravo was only there for two seasons, but his impact was significant.
This content has been translated and adapted from the Spanish version of the digital newspaper
