Barcelona captain reveals he came very close to joining Man City – ‘Pep really made an effort’ | OneFootball

Speaking in an interview on BILD (h/t SPORT), Barcelona captain and first-choice goalkeeper Marc-Andre ter Stegen has revealed that he came very close to leaving the club for Manchester City.

The German international recalled how he was unhappy with his situation at Barça back in 2016, having had to play second-fiddle to Claudio Bravo in goal.

Pep wanted Ter Stegen

As such, when approached by Pep Guardiola, who was set to take over at the Etihad Stadium that year, Ter Stegen wanted to jump at the opportunity and leave for the Premier League giants.

“We actually considered changing clubs. It was a time when I was not happy with my situation at Barça, because even though we had won many titles, I had not played in the league (Claudio Bravo did),” Ter Stegen recalled.

“Playing 25 or 28 matches a season in the cup competitions was no longer enough for me. I wanted to be the undisputed number one.”

Revealing details about his meeting with Guardiola, the goalkeeper said: “We even had a meeting in Barcelona. Pep flew over, and then we met at a friend’s house.

“He explained his ideas to me and told me he would be joining Manchester City that summer and that he would love to have me. Pep really made an effort.”

Ter Stegen was then convinced about the move: “Then I thought to myself, this could be the solution to my problem, and the plan they had at City seemed very interesting. Looking at the past few years, it worked out perfectly.”

Ter Stegen almost left Barça a decade ago. (Photo by Eric Alonso/Getty Images)

Luis Enrique stopped the transfer

However, upon relaying his intentions of leaving Barcelona for Manchester City, Luis Enrique, then-manager of the Blaugrana, ended up blocking Ter Stegen’s departure.

“At one point, I went to see Luis Enrique and told him I wanted to be released. And he replied, ‘I will not release you!’ He also said he would tell the club that they should not let me leave under any circumstances,” the goalkeeper reminisced.

“I responded that, on one hand, I really appreciated that, but on the other hand, I wanted to be the No. 1,” he added.

Continuing, the German stated: “When he said we would see how the pre-season went, I almost lost my temper, but I kept it together. I simply said, ‘Look, that is my wish now, and I am going to inform the board.’”

However, in the end, the board also stood with Enrique and stopped the move and City ended up signing Bravo instead of Ter Stegen.

“The board also said they would not release me under any circumstances. And then, I think three weeks later, Pep signed my teammate Claudio Bravo for Manchester City,” stated the German ace.

“At first, it was strange, but in the end, I was very happy because I truly did not want to leave, and I became the No. 1.”