Goalie ter Stegen's injury leaves Germany coach in a bind

Barcelona's – and Germany's – worst fears came true on Monday.

"Tests carried out on the first team player Marc ter Stegen confirm that he has a complete rupture of the patella tendon in his right knee," Barcelona said in a statement posted on their website. 

Later on Monday, the club issued an update in which it said Germany's new No. 1 goalkeeper had "undergone a successful surgical intervention." 

The injury occurred just before halftime during Barca's 5-1 win at Villarreal on Sunday.

Ter Stegen's right knee buckled when he fell awkwardly after jumping to catch a high ball from a corner. Players from both teams immediately called for medical assistance and the 32-year-old was stretchered off the pitch.

Six to 12-month recovery period

The patellar tendon runs from the kneecap to the shinbone and serves to transfer power from the thigh to the lower leg. During quick changes of direction, jumps and landings, it is exposed to great strain. The tendon can tear if there was a previous illness like permanent inflammation. The recovery period for this sort of injury is a minimum of six months – but it often takes longer.

Short list of potential replacements

The Barcelona captain has been with the club since 2014 – for most of that time he has been the Spanish giants' first-choice keeper. Earlier this month, Germany coach Julian Nagelsmann named him as the national team's No. 1, after ter Stegen had spent many years as an understudy to Bayern shot stopper Manuel Neuer.

"The news of Marc's injury was a big shock for us. We will miss him a lot on and off the pitch with the national team," Nagelsmann said in a statement on the German FA's (DFB) website. "We will always be there for him on his way back."

For ter Stegen, the injury could hardly come at a more inopportune time, and it leaves Nagelsmann with a difficult decision to make.

While there was a time when Germany had a whole host of world-class goalkeepers to choose from, at the moment, the list of suitable candidates for the national team is rather short.

Oliver Baumann of Hoffenheim and Stuttgart's Alexander Nübel are obvious possibilities, as they were on the bench as substitutes for Germany's two Nations League games earlier this month.

Kevin Trapp of Eintracht Frankfurt would be another goalkeeper in the mix – if he wasn't injured himself, meaning he will be unavailable for Germany's next Nations League matches, on October 11 in Bosnia-Herzegovina and on October 14 against the Netherlands in Munich.

A comeback for Neuer or Nübel's big opportunity?

Perhaps the easiest short to medium-term solution, though, would to be to recall Manuel Neuer, who only announced his retirement from international football in August. Bayern's No.1 is still regarded as one of the world's best goalkeepers and given the fact that he knows the coaching staff and most of the players, it almost seems like a no-brainer.

However, this could also be seen as a slap in the face for one keeper in particular, who has been waiting in the wings – as ter Stegen's misfortune could be an opportunity for at least one of them to gain international experience.

Nübel has been seen as a potential future Germany No. 1 for years. Currently on loan at Stuttgart, the 27-year-old is expected to eventually succeed Neuer (38) as the first-choice keeper at Bayern, where Nübel is under contract through the 2028-29 season.

Given the fact that he has yet to win a Germany cap and only has five Champions League games to his name, playing for Germany would allow him to gain valuable international experience.

This could only help him improve his game, maybe even to the point that he would be ready to make things difficult for the new No. 1 to win his job back – whenever ter Stegen is able to return.

Edited by: Jonathan Harding

This article was originally published on September 23, 2024. It was updated on September 24, 2024 to reflect the fact that ter Stegen's operation was successful, and adding comment from national team coach Julian Nagelsmann.