Barcelona goalkeeper Marc-Andre ter Stegen has refused to rule out returning to the Bundesliga before the end of his professional career.
The 32-year-old came through the youth system at Borussia Monchengladbach and went on to represent the club's first team on 127 occasions before moving to Barcelona in 2014.
Ter Stegen has made 417 appearances for Barcelona, winning five La Liga titles, five Copa del Rey crowns and the Champions League in the process.
The goalkeeper has said that he is "very happy" at Barcelona, where he has a contract until June 2028, but the Germany international has refused to rule out a return to the Bundesliga in the future.
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Ter Stegen opens door to Germany return
"I have a relatively long contract in Barcelona. I'm very happy there. My family is happy in Catalonia. I'm just looking forward to the season, that's where my focus is," Ter Stegen told reporters at a press conference.
"You never know what will happen in the future. I don't know if playing in Germany will be a goal for me again in the future. We'll see. But generally speaking, I'm very happy with my situation and with where I am at the moment."
Ter Stegen is now officially Germany's number one goalkeeper following the international retirement of the long-serving Manuel Neuer.
"There are always moments when you think 'Phew, that was another blow'. In the end, the decision always went in Manu's favour, but I dealt with it professionally. It was disappointing, of course, but you have to live with it," he continued when asked about his time with Germany.
"You should have this experience and accept it. In the end, it was worth it. My teammates noticed that I never let myself be down because of that.
© Imago
Ter Stegen is now Germany's number one goalkeeper
"My aim has always been to be number one. Unfortunately, I haven't been able to achieve that over the past decade.
"I had a goalkeeper in front of me in Manu who had an incredible career and always stood up to the pressure. Congratulations to him again on his career."
Germany will take on Hungary in their opening 2024-25 Nations League fixture on Saturday evening, before tackling Netherlands on September 10.
Julian Nagelsmann's side were last in action on July 5, suffering a 2-1 defeat to Spain in the quarter-finals of Euro 2024, with Mikel Merino netting the winner in the 119th minute.
Matt Law
