Ter Stegen is the fourth player to have played in Gladbach & Barça
Can you remember the other three players to have played for both clubs ahead of Wednesday's meeting?
The history of players shared between Borussia Monchengladbach ends at four. The pioneer was the unforgettable Allan Simonsen, then came Patrik Andersson and there have since been two goalkeepers: Robert Enke and Marc-Andre ter Stegen. The little Dane and Barcelona’s current goalkeeper came directly from Monchengladbach, while Andersson and and Enke came from Bayern Munich and Benfica respectively. All four played for the German side first and their careers are very different, filled with success, failure and even tragedy.
ALLAN SIMONSEN (Vejle, 15-12-52)
Reached the first team at his hometown club Vejle as a teenager and the scouts soon came to watch. And it was Borrussia Monchengladbach who managed to sign him. He had a great time there, too, winning three league titles and a cup in his six seasons with the club, as well as two UEFA Cups. He was also part of the side which lost the European Cup final in 1977 to Liverpool and that same year was named Ballon d’Or. He joined Barça in 1979 and spent three years at the club before being replaced by Diego Maradona.
PATRIK ANDERSSON (Borgeby, 18-08-71)
Mainly remembered for his spell with Bayern Munich, where he won everything, the Swedish defender only actually spent two seasons in Bavaria… and six in Gladbach. He developed at Malmo and joined Borussia after a season with Blackburn Rovers in 1993. He left for Munich after winning the cup in 1995 and signed for Barcelona in 2001. Injuries ruined his time at Camp Nou and he played just 33 games. He returned to Malmo for one more season before retiring.
ROBERT ENKE (Jena, 24-08-77-Neustadt, 10-11-09)
The ill-fated German goalkeeper spent three years with Borussia and just one with Barça. In 1996, aged 19, he joined Monchengladbach. He joined Benfica in 1999, where he spent three good years, before signing for Barça in 2002-03 where he underwent the worst spell of his career. He played just 12 games and was loaned out the following season. He eventually returned to Germany with Hannover 96, where he was a success, before ending his life in 2009 after battling depression.
MARC-ANDRE TER STEGEN (Moenchengladbach, 30-04-92)
Barcelona’s current goalkeeper is the only one of the four to have been born in Gladbach and come through the club’s academy. He joined the club at four years old and went on to make his Bundesliga debut in 2011 as an 18-year-old. After 18 years with the club, he joined Barcelona in 2014. For two years he competed with Claudio Bravo, now he is the Catalan club’s No.1 stopper.
