Germany continues to debate our European Championship goalkeeper! The trigger: a mistake by first-choice goalkeeper Manuel Neuer (38) during the European Championship warm-up match against Greece (2:1). Before the temporary 0:1, he let a harmless shot slip through his fingers and land at the feet of poacher Masouras. Even before that, the discussions had gained momentum due to a frustrated statement by backup goalkeeper Marc-André ter Stegen (32): “The coach’s decision must be accepted and respected, even if I do not agree with him.” This was further fueled by a BILD poll in which 72 percent of the 80,000 participants voted for ter Stegen.
The hierarchy in the national team’s goalkeeping department is clearly established: Neuer before ter Stegen! This was reaffirmed by national coach Julian Nagelsmann (36) and DFB director Rudi Völler (64) in BILD: “Manuel has our absolute trust! One must not forget: his previous saves were world-class and have repeatedly saved the team from falling behind. We don’t need a goalkeeper debate right now.” Nevertheless, fans continue to discuss. BILD provides a comprehensive statistical comparison.
Neuer or ter Stegen – who is really better? Using data from service provider “CreateFootball,” BILD evaluated the games of both goalkeepers since Neuer’s injury comeback on October 28, 2023. The surprising result: in the league comparison, Barcelona star ter Stegen leads in 7 out of 10 goalkeeper categories, with Neuer ahead in only two. In the Champions League comparison, however, the Bayern Munich world champion fares better, leading in 7 of the 10 categories.
League Comparison Notably, ter Stegen has better numbers in the most important categories. Ter Stegen conceded only 0.94 goals per game, while Neuer conceded 1.45. Additionally, ter Stegen made significantly more saves per game (2.83) compared to Neuer (2.63). In games without conceding a goal, Germany’s number two leads with 56 percent compared to Neuer’s 30 percent.
However, it is also true that ter Stegen benefits from the better defensive work of his teammates in Barcelona. Furthermore, the Spanish league suffers from a significantly larger performance gap compared to the Bundesliga.
| Parameter | Neuer | Ter Stegen | Advantage |
|---|---|---|---|
| Minutes Played | 2054 | 1620 | Neuer |
| Clean Sheets | 7 (30%) | 10 (56%) | Ter Stegen |
| Goals Conceded (per 90 minutes) | 1.45 | 0.94 | Ter Stegen |
| Saves | 2.63 | 2.83 | Ter Stegen |
| Crosses Intercepted | 4.4% | 4.4% | Tie |
| Clearances Outside the Box (per 90 min) | 0.79 | 0.66 | Neuer |
| Ball Actions (per 90 min) | 42.6 | 43.5 | Ter Stegen |
| Pass Completion Rate | 84.2% | 86.7% | Ter Stegen |
| Progressive Pass Completion Rate | 66% | 75% | Ter Stegen |
| Long Ball Completion Rate | 50% | 60% | Ter Stegen |
It is also noteworthy that ter Stegen performs significantly better in Neuer’s specialty, playing with the ball at his feet. He has more ball actions and successfully passes the ball to his teammates more often. Particularly, long and line-breaking passes are a specialty of ter Stegen, who is very accurate in this aspect.
Champions League Comparison Here, Neuer leads in most categories, conceding fewer goals (0.89 per game) compared to ter Stegen (1.25), and keeping twice as many clean sheets. It is worth noting that Neuer made a costly mistake in the semifinal against Real Madrid, failing to hold onto a Vinicius shot, which sparked the discussions about him. Ter Stegen, on the other hand, was eliminated with Barcelona one round earlier in the quarterfinals.
In terms of playing with the ball, Neuer also comes out on top. The Bayern keeper benefits from his quick reflexes, which he uses for clearances outside his own penalty area and for safely catching opponents’ shots.
