Marc-André ter Stegen immediately grabs his knee. Screams can be heard. The German national goalkeeper suffers a serious knee injury that will slow him down for a long time - even in the DFB goal.
No time? blue News summarizes for you
- Barça goalkeeper Marc-André ter Stegen suffered a serious knee injury in the match against Villarreal on Sunday evening.
- The 32-year-old German had to be carried off the pitch on a stretcher. It is now clear that ter Stegen has suffered a complete rupture of the patellar tendon and will be out for months.
- Barça won the game 5:1 away from home and are top of the table with 18 points after six games.
Marc-André ter Stegen will be out for months with a serious knee injury. The 32-year-old, who is the number one goalkeeper for the German national team following the retirement of Manuel Neuer, suffered a "complete tear of the patellar tendon" in his right knee during FC Barcelona's league match at FC Villarreal, as the Catalans announced. He is due to undergo surgery today, Monday.
The goalkeeper will not be able to play any more games for a while - news that will also have a major impact on national team coach Julian Nagelsmann's plans. Ter Stegen was set to play in goal after Neuer's decision following the home European Championship. The DFB team will play their next Nations League games on October 11 in Bosnia-Herzegovina and three days later in Munich against the Netherlands.
"The news of Marc's injury was a big shock for us. We will miss him a lot in the national team on and off the pitch. We wish Marc all the best for the operation and a good and speedy recovery. We will always be there for him on his way back," said national team coach Julian Nagelsmann following ter Stegen's diagnosis.
The serious injury comes at the worst possible time. As the crown prince behind Neuer for many years, ter Stegen has played 42 international matches to date, most recently in goal for Germany in the 5-0 win over Hungary and 2-2 draw in the Netherlands in the Nations League. The declared goal is to take part in the 2026 World Cup in the USA, Canada and Mexico. Nagelsmann had described him as his "clear number one".
Is Neuer coming back now?
Nagelsmann plans to name his squad for the October games next week. By then at the latest, there will be a signal as to how he intends to bridge ter Stegen's absence. Oliver Baumann (34) from TSG Hoffenheim and Alexander Nübel (27) were recently in the squad as back-ups - neither of them has yet played an international match. A comeback for Neuer (38) is also not ruled out in principle and will certainly be discussed once the Bayern goalkeeper has recovered from his current thigh injury and is performing at top level.
Things have been going well for ter Stegen at FC Barcelona, who have been coached by former national team coach Hansi Flick since this season. The 32-year-old became captain of the Spanish top-flight club, winning six of his first six league games - but the last one came at a high price.
Keeper from arch-rivals Real feels for ter Stegen
"We're very happy about the win, but in truth sad because I think it's a serious injury," said Hansi Flick after the 5:1 win in Villarreal on Sunday evening. Ter Stegen had landed on his right leg during a defensive action following an opponent's corner shortly before the break and immediately fell to the turf. The Barça captain had to be carried off the pitch on a stretcher and was then taken to hospital.
The great anxiety began in Barcelona. And even his colleague Thibaut Courtois from Barcelona's arch-rivals Real Madrid suffered too. "I'm sorry for the injury," the Belgian wrote on X. "It really hurt me to see you leave the pitch like that. I hope you can recover soon and that we see you back in goal." Courtois himself missed large parts of last season through injury.