The Marc-André ter Stegen saga in Barcelona is finally over—at least for the summer—as La Liga ruled that the goalkeeper’s back injury will sideline him for a considerable period of time.
Barcelona released a statement where they announced La Liga’s medical committee’s ruling, a verdict that will allow the Catalan’s a very welcomed boost.
“FC Barcelona hereby announces that La Liga’s Medical Committee has ruled that goalkeeper Marc-André ter Stegen’s injury meets the long-term injury criteria established by current regulations," the statement read.
“The club will proceed tomorrow to immediately formalise the registration of player Joan García.”
La Liga determining Ter Stegen’s injury meets the long-term criteria means Barcelona can offload a bulk of his salary and utilize that to register new signings. Goalkeeper García will be the beneficiary and he’ll be available to play in Barcelona’s 2025–26 La Liga debut vs. Mallorca on Saturday.
Ter Stegen underwent lower-back surgery on July 29. He originally came out to say he’d be sidelined for only three months. Days later, he refused to give the club the authorization to send his medical information to La Liga, which resulted in Barcelona temporarily stripping the captaincy from the German.
The goalkeeper later backtracked and Barcelona sent all necessary medical information to La Liga on Aug. 8. The Catalans were in a hurry considering Iñaki Peña, who didn’t play a single minute in preseason, was the only goalkeeper available to play their season opener. Now, their plan A has materialized and García will be between the sticks vs. Mallorca, as hoped.
It’s unquestionably good news for Barcelona, but the job’s not finished yet. The club still must figure out a way to register four other players—Marcus Rashford, Roony Bardghji, Wojciech Szczęsny and Gerard Martín—before the start of the season.
Additionally, this ruling could very well signify that Ter Stegen has already played his final game for Barcelona.
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This article was originally published on www.si.com as Barcelona Learn La Liga’s ‘Final Verdict’ on Marc-Andre ter Stegen Injury .
