According to Marc-Andre ter Stegen, who serves as the second captain for Barcelona, every squad needs to go through adversity in order to get the ability to learn from their errors.

The German defender was referring to Barcelona’s tragic loss to Bayern Munich by the score of 2-8. He emphasized that despite the fact that the loss was terrible for him, it helped him grow as a person.

In addition, he stated that any player who has not improved as a result of the experience is not suited to play for a team like Barcelona because of the lessons they must learn.

According to Mundo Deportivo, the goalkeeper commented to El Pais that “both were very important,” referring to the triumph in the Champions League final in 2015 and the loss by a score of 2-8.

“Bayern’s was really difficult, but it was essential for my development as a person. Because of how challenging the current situation is, you have no choice but to venture out and advance. If you don’t, then you probably aren’t cut out to play for a team like Barcelona. And we had players who were able to accomplish exactly that—grow despite the challenges they faced—he continued.

In addition, the 31-year-old said that rising to the occasion during happy times was nothing out of the ordinary. When things are going poorly for you, your true character will finally be revealed.

“You have to be there during the difficult times because when things are going well, everyone has the opportunity to move forward. It is to be expected. But in order to be there for the difficult periods, you need to have endured difficult experiences in the past. You can put your faith in me during the difficult times.”

When he continued to explain himself, he stated, “You can’t expect Gavi or Pedri, who are very talented footballers but who have only been in the team for a short time, to lead when the team is in a difficult situation. In the next five years, it will have been replaced by something new.

“We will talk about footballers who come from a variety of backgrounds. Take for example the situation with Frenkie de Jong. We need to take a step ahead since he has already been through challenging times, and it is because of these times that we need to go forward.

He also made this statement in reference to Barcelona’s most recent victory, which was in the Spanish Super Cup against Real Madrid. He stated that triumphs such as these are very significant for the younger generation.

“The Spanish Super Cup was a competition that held a great deal of significance for us. In particular for the younger generation. So that they can see what it’s like to win a championship when there’s a lot of pressure on them, so that when the next one comes along, they’ll know how to adjust.

Last but not least, he conceded that the consistent application of a single strategy has been the driving force behind his accomplishments. He went on to say that while there will be good times and difficult times, what will define you is the lessons that you take away from the experience.

“In all honesty, I went about things in the same manner as before. The similar approach was taken in our collaboration with Dela, Barcelona’s goalkeeping coach. There are times in a player’s career when things are going well, and other times when things are not going so well. He came to the conclusion that the most essential thing was that the career was moving in the right direction.