Marc-André ter Stegen has confirmed his claim to the status of a regular goalkeeper for the German national soccer team.

"If I continue to perform, I have a fair chance of remaining number one. That's my clear goal. I want to be a great support for the national team in the coming year," said the 31-year-old, looking at the Home European Championship 2024 in an interview with the "Süddeutsche Zeitung" before the international match against Poland.

World class for years

Ter Stegen has played in goal for the Spanish champions FC Barcelona for years and sometimes shows world-class performances. In the DFB selection, he never managed to get past the currently injured Manuel Neuer and has therefore only played 31 international matches so far. His only tournament was the Confed Cup 2017, when the then national coach Joachim Löw had renounced numerous regulars. Since 2010, Neuer has been the undisputed goalkeeper at the major tournaments in South Africa.

"Manu is not available at the moment and I'm just dealing with the here and now," said ter Stegen. "Right now I'm number one and I aspire to stay that way." The 37-year-old Neuer (117 caps) is still in rehab after breaking his leg last winter. If possible, he should start team training at FC Bayern Munich at the start of the preparations for the new season.