FC Barcelona goalkeeper Marc-André ter Stegen will be out of competition for at least three months as he is about to undergo surgery to repair a back injury. Due to back pain, ter Stegen has been unable to train with Barça, which returned to the training field last week.
On Thursday, the 33-year-old wrote a heartfelt statement on his Instagram regarding his injury. After noting his love for the club and its fans, ter Stegen said, “Today is a difficult day for me, on a personal level.
“Physically and athletically, I’m in great shape, but unfortunately, I’m not exempt from pain. After intense conversations with the FC Barcelona medical team and external experts, the fastest and safest way to fully recover is back surgery,” ter Stegen wrote. “After the last back surgery, I returned to the playing fields after 66 days, almost two months, but this time, doctors believe it will take about three months, as a precaution and not to take risks.
“On an emotional level, it hurts me a lot not to be able to help the team during this time, but fortunately, the rehabilitation is bearable and the road back is plotted,” he added. “I will keep you updated on my recovery and I want to, from the bottom of my heart, thank you all, dear friends, for always being by my side. Don’t worry, I’ll be back!”
Ter Stegen’s upcoming absence comes after he appeared in just eight La Liga games last season due to a knee injury. In 28 appearances in the 2023-24 season, ter Stegen clocked in 15 clean sheets in domestic competition.
His injuries prompted Barça to sign Wojciech Szczęsny out of retirement. Nonetheless, Barcelona won La Liga with a 28-4-6 (W-D-L) record and also lifted the Copa Del Rey while falling in the Champions League semifinals to Inter.
With ter Stegen set to miss a significant number of games, the team is covered with Szczęsny and Joan Garcia, who is joining the club from Catalan rivals Espanyol on a €25 million deal.
Ter Stegen joined Barça in 2014 for €12 million and has been the team’s primary No. 1 since 2016. In his time with the club, the German has made 422 appearances and won 17 trophies.
Barca will return to action July 31 in a friendly match against FC Seoul in the South Korean capital.
