Marc-André ter Stegen, the custodian for Barcelona, may have to have back surgery before the European Championship, which might mean he loses his starting position with the German national side.
Barcelona announced on Tuesday that Ter Stegen would have surgery to treat lower back problems that have been affecting him lately. The duration of his anticipated absence was not disclosed by the Catalan club.
Following the World Cup, regular starter Manuel Neuer fractured his leg while skiing in December 2022. Ter Stegen participated in eight of Germany’s first nine games in 2023. Neuer is back to full strength and is a regular player for Bayern Munich.
Despite having appeared in 38 Germany games over an 11-year span, Ter Stegen has always been viewed as Neuer’s backup. Ter Stegen has not yet participated in a single match at a European Championship or World Cup. In 2024, Germany will host Euro.
With Ter Stegen out due to injury, Kevin Trapp managed Germany’s two friendlies last month. After making his Bayern debut on November 1, Neuer has appeared in all seven of the team’s games across all competitions without showing any signs of a fitness problem.
In addition to missing Barcelona’s Champions League encounter against Porto, the 31-year-old Ter Stegen also missed games against Rayo Vallecano and Atletico Madrid in the Spanish league. This season, he has participated in 17 games for the team, with 8 clean sheets and 15 goals against.
At Barcelona, Ter Stegen has been replaced by Iñaki Peña. In the team’s 1-0 victory over Atletico on Sunday, he made crucial stops.