Barcelona goalkeeper Marc-Andre Ter Stegen has suffered a “complete tear of the patellar tendon in his right knee” and underwent surgery on Monday, the club announced.
The German goalkeeper will be out for seven to eight months, according to the Spanish press, while his club did not specify the duration of his absence.
Ter Stegen was injured on Sunday during Barcelona’s 5-1 win over Villarreal. The German international fell to the ground on the stroke of half-time after blocking a ball in the air, showing obvious signs of pain in his right knee. He had to be taken off on a stretcher and replaced by Inaki Pena.
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The first Barca captain this season, who with his starting role against Villarreal became the third goalkeeper in the history of the club with the most games – 289, surpassing Antoni Ramallets – underwent surgery on Monday, Barcelona reported, which specified that the operation was carried out “satisfactorily.”
“His injury is very hard for us. We have to take care of the players we have now considering the number of games we play,” said Hansi Flick on Sunday.
Barca’s good form this season under the arrival of the German coach – La Liga leaders with a record six wins – has been overshadowed by a large number of absences. Ter Stegen joins Dani Olmo, Fermin Lopez, Marc Bernal, Andreas Christensen, Ronald Araujo, Frenkie de Jong, and Gavi in the infirmary.
Following Ter Stegen’s injury, Barcelona will have to decide whether to hire a new goalkeeper or turn to Inaki Pena, 25 years old and with just twenty games since his debut in the 2022-2023 season.
For this reason, the Spanish press is already considering names of candidates for the Barca goal, taking into account that he must be a player without a team if they do not want to wait for the January transfer window.
The names being mentioned are as varied as those of Costa Rican Keylor Navas, German Loris Karius, or two goalkeepers who have already played for the club, Jordi Masip and Edgar Badia.
The last of them is another goalkeeper with a Barca past and recently retired Chilean Claudio Bravo.
Ter Stegen, 32, became Germany’s first-choice goalkeeper this season following the retirement of Manuel Neuer, after 12 years as a substitute since making his debut for the Mannschaft in 2012.
Germany coach Julian Nagelsmann confirmed that he was number 1 at the beginning of September, which the player described as “a relief” after his long wait.
La Liga president Javier Tebas has explained that Barcelona could replace Ter Stegen with another player, whether a goalkeeper or not if it is confirmed that he is suffering from a long-term injury, as the clubs have approved including this option in the economic control regulations.
“When there is a long-term injury, the fee can be the same as the amount the injured player may have. He may or may not be a goalkeeper. It is the rule that was worked out with the clubs, which was not in the first versions of the economic control,” he said in his speech on Monday at the Europa Forum following Ter-Stegen’s possible patellar tendon injury.
Tebas said that “Barcelona’s financial situation is being exaggerated” and assured that “it is better than it was two years ago and will be better in two years.” “There is no free rein, it is said to discredit LaLiga and financial fair play,” he commented.
