During FC Barcelona’s 5-1 win over Villarreal in La Liga on Sunday, German goalkeeper Marc-André ter Stegen rose to catch a ball lofted in from a corner. Though the catch was successful, his landing was anything but as a collision with a Villarreal player saw the former Borussia Mönchengladbach goalkeeper land horribly and clearly sustain an injury, which led to him being stretchered off the field with his face in his hands.
The worst was expected after such a painful injury and early signs suggest that those expectations will be met. Reporter Javi Miguel says that Ter Stegen has a ruptured patellar tendon in his right knee and that his season is most likely over, more than eight months before Barcelona’s last game of the season. Ter Stegen has come under a lot of criticism in recent games but this will no doubt be a massive blow to the Blaugranas, who have been unfortunately dealing with several long term injuries this season.
This will also have a big impact on the German national team. Due to Manuel Neuer’s recent international retirement, Julian Nagelsmann had finally made ter Stegen his undisputed first choice goalkeeper but this will throw a big wrench in those plans. Who will take the injury stricken goalkeeper’s place? Will Neuer come back immediately? Will the likes of Oliver Baumann, Alexander Nübel or Stefan Ortega be given the starting position? Given the October international break is about two weeks away now, it will be interesting to see what decision the former Bayern Munich boss will make.
But above all, this is an incredibly tragic turn of events for Ter Stegen. Having come under such criticism in the early stages of the club season and having just become Germany’s first choice goalkeeper after around a decade of patience, the stage was set for the treble winning goalkeeper to prove his doubters wrong once again. Instead, he will be left to pick up the pieces after such a tragic injury and face an uphill battle to regain his best form before the 2026 World Cup. But perhaps this is yet another manner in which he can prove the critics wrong and come out on top despite all odds. We will have to wait and see.
