Barcelona goalkeeper Marc-Andre ter Stegen says he had a mixed dynamic with Lionel Messi during their time together at the Catalan club.
The German shot-stopper joined Barcelona in 2014, going on to share seven seasons with Messi before the Argentine icon departed for Paris Saint-Germain in 2021.
During their time together, they lifted multiple trophies, including the 2015 Champions League and four LaLiga titles.
However, their relationship wasn’t always perfect.
Speaking to Bild, he said: “The good or the bad moments?
“We had them both [laughs]. Leo is a special character, who is at this [high] level because he’s motivated by a lot of things that we don’t see.
❗Ter Stegen: "Messi is probably the only player who, if he wants to shoot a ball directly at your face, actually can. Most others would miss. But he could do it, and he did, more than once, when he was mad… He shot a ball directly at my face. It wasn’t malicious. It was just… pic.twitter.com/4uUXdOTYkZ
— Barça Universal (@BarcaUniversal) April 9, 2025
“There were moments when things didn’t work between us because he was annoyed with me and I was annoyed with him.
“I think Leo’s probably the only player that, if he wants to shoot right at your face, he can shoot right at your face. Other players would probably shoot somewhere else, but he’s got the ability to hit [the target] accurately.”
Despite occasional disagreements, Ter Stegen was quick to clarify that the tension never escalated into lasting conflict.
“Several times [smiles], but not in a bad way in the sense that it dragged on or anything. We never had an argument in the sense that you say we don’t get on at all. But we had moments, and that’s fine.”
Messi, now plying his trade with Inter Miami, still holds legendary status at Barcelona. He remains the club’s all-time leading scorer with 672 goals in 778 appearances and served as captain before his departure – a role now filled by Ter Stegen himself.
Ter Stegen reserved his highest praise for Messi’s incredible skill and effortless brilliance on the field – attributes that often left even his own teammates in awe.
He concluded: “Leo is simply a super impressive character on the pitch and he plays with an ease that you won’t see again, I’m 100% sure of that.
“He has the ability that if he wants to make you look bad [on the pitch], then he does it with such ease and with a pass or a shot that you say afterwards: ‘That was impossible!’
I’ve experienced that more than once. And that’s why I’m glad I’ve always had him with me in games and not on the other side.”
