In football, the first thing is collective success. It often happens that individual performances, especially those of key figures such as the goalkeeper or striker, serve to tip the balance. Ter Stegen knows this well. The only player who has had continuity from the beginning to the end in this Barça. The differentiating factor for the Barcelona team to have been crowned champions thanks to Lewandowski's goals. On his way to his first Zamora, Ter Stegen had in Valladolid the possibility of reaching the 26 clean sheets achieved by Paco Liaño in the 1993-1994 season defending the goal of Deportivo de la Coruña. But in Pucela, the Germans relived the same film as in Cornellà in the victory against Espanyol (2-4). And that at Camp Nou, in the defeat against Real Sociedad (1-2). For the third day in a row, his personal success and one of the few incentives left for Barcelona, already champions, together with Lewandowski's pichichi, was diluted. Of the 16 goals conceded this season, six have come in the last three games for the German.
Stunned Ter Stegen couldn't believe how Christensen drilled home after 81 seconds of play. An own goal that hurt him and for which the Dane apologized. Minutes later, Ter Stegen himself was not right when he took the penalty that meant 2-0. There are 17 goals conceded in 36 games.
At half-time, Xavi changed him knowing that the two goals conceded do not count for the Zamora trophy. According to the requirements of the award "only matches in which the goalkeeper is in the game for at least 60 minutes are counted", so he maintains the 15 goals conceded in 35 matches.
Xavi called on Iñaki Peña, who completed the second half and scored the third goal. "Zamora's objective is clear. Once the collective objectives are achieved, there are also the individual ones. I also changed him to give Iñaki the chance," explained Xavi Hernández, the main supporter of the German goalkeeper. The one who always trusted to recover his best version.
Undisputed for his own merits in times of an abundance of titles and successes for Barcelona, Ter Stegen began the season as one of the footballers noted for the loss of credit and titles that even placed him in the transfer bag. He had finished the season with his worst record since arriving at Camp Nou in 2014: 34 goals conceded in 35 La Liga games. And he decided to vindicate himself. "I need to rest", he pointed out. And in a deliberate and consensual decision, he temporarily resigned in the summer to play in the four matches of the national team corresponding to the Nations League. It was a decision aimed also at recovering physically. Operated twice on the patellar tendon of his right knee, the goalkeeper's joint needed to regain all its strength and for this reason they designed a specific program for him with Dr. Ricard Pruna, a man of Xavi's trust, whose progressive application ended bearing fruit. Today the knee is strong, there are no sequelae. And Ter Stegen, at the age of 31, will have two more games to equal Liaño's record and feed his Zamora more if Xavi needs it.
