Ter Stegen: Everyone gave their best, Messi scored and I kept a clean sheet

Marc-Andre ter Stegen was delighted by the performances of each of his teammates as Barcelona secured a crucial 1-0 victory away at Atletico Madrid.

The German's saves allowed Lionel Messi to pop up with a late winner to push Barcelona back to the top of LaLiga Santander.

"Everyone was at their best," Ter Stegen said.

"In this case, Messi scored and I kept a clean sheet, which is what we wanted most.

"We defended when we needed to and we fought until the end to secure the victory."

Despite Barcelona's defensive efforts, Ter Stegen was still forced into action frequently by Atletico.

"We always go out to defend as best as possible and we can't stop [the opponent] having chances every now and then," he said.

"It was difficult for us, but we dealt with the early pressure."

Messi is up for the Ballon d'Or on Monday and Ter Stegen knows who he wants to claim the award.

"I hope he wins it, he said, referring to the Argentine.