Overview

• Marc-André ter Stegen announced he will undergo a back operation after consultations with Barcelona’s medical team and external experts, with doctors advising a roughly three-month layoff.
• The 33-year-old remains FC Barcelona’s third-choice goalkeeper under Hansi Flick behind new signing Joan García and Wojciech Szczesny despite a contract running through 2028.
• Barcelona is frustrated by ter Stegen’s public disclosure of his expected absence, since La Liga only allows clubs to reallocate up to 80 percent of a long-term injured player’s salary if the absence exceeds four months.
• Germany coach Julian Nagelsmann now faces an urgent need to identify alternative goalkeepers ahead of the 2026 World Cup kickoff in the USA, Canada and Mexico.
• Ter Stegen has repeatedly ruled out leaving Barcelona, but his injury setbacks and demotion continue to cloud both his club role and his status as Germany’s No. 1 choice.