World Cup 2018: 5 Barcelona stars who will be key for their teams at the Mundial

#3 Marc Andre Ter-Stegen (Germany)

Ter-Stegen will give Germans confidence even if Neuer is absent

There is still a lot of debate in Germany as to if Manuel Neuer will be fit enough to participate but the debate is actually more of the “lets-just-talk” variety and not the “we desperately need him” kind.

This level of confidence among fans of Die Mannschaft is understandable given that the defending champions of the World Cup have the super impressive Ter-Stegen to call upon in the event that Neuer is unfit for the tournament.

It is no exaggeration to say that the Barca number one has been one of the best goalkeepers in the world in the last couple of years and his performances only went up a notch in the just ended season as his agility, reflexes, decision making, and command of his defence helped shore up a back-line that only gave up 3 defeats in the entire season.

His passing ability which has been much improved since he joined from Borussia Monchengladbach in 2014 will be crucial in helping Germany against teams that look to press quickly, while his agility and shot-stopping would give the defenders in front of him great confidence.