Marc-André ter Stegen: tragic unlucky man of the football nation

Marc-André ter Stegen (32) was only named the new number one goalkeeper of the German national team by national coach Julian Nagelsmann (37) at the beginning of September. But two days ago he was seriously injured in a match for his club FC Barcelona. The goalkeeper suffered “a complete tear of the patellar tendon in his right knee”.

For now, the DFB dream has burst

This not only means a lot of pain, but also the long recovery process means that he will be out of the national team for the time being. The long-awaited appointment as number one had made him so happy. “Back with the DFB team,” he commented on the photos.

A few days later, the ambitious Mönchengladbach native was fighting again. Along with photos of himself in the black national team jersey with a large neon yellow number one on the back, he wrote: “A draw that doesn’t taste like much. We were knocking on the door for more…” – but that doesn’t apply to him after the injury. Not for him again, one has to say, because this abrupt end to his big dream is not the first time that Marc-André ter Stegen has had bad luck with the DFB.

Marc-André ter Stegen’s streak of bad luck at the DFB

The DFB reacted to the current shocking news with warm words: “We will miss him very much in the national team on and off the pitch. We will always be there for him on his way back,” promises Nagelsmann. And sports director Rudi Völler (64) adds: “I am very sorry for Marc. He has had to cope with a number of setbacks in the course of his career. He will come back stronger this time too.” The setbacks mentioned include two operations (2020 and 2021) on the patellar tendon. Both times he was out for three months.

The DFB’s streak of bad luck goes back much further. The then national coach Joachim Löw (64) had called up Marc-André ter Stegen in the national team’s provisional squad for the European Championship in 2012. But after his unfortunate international debut against Switzerland, he did not end up in the final squad. , there was next a “bad mistake on the US trip in 2013”. In the test match against the USA, the goalkeeper accidentally let the ball roll into the goal after a back pass. “The goalkeeper ended the entire US trip with twelve goals conceded in three games,” the sports page summarizes.

And that’s not all. He was not nominated for the 2014 World Cup squad either. “Of course you’re sad when you miss such a major event. But I have to respect the national coach’s decision. And I do,” ter Stegen explained at the time. He seemed to remain the eternal number two behind Manuel Neuer (38) in 2016 and 2018. A situation that was “very difficult” for him, as he admitted. In Qatar, too, he was only left with the role of reserve. The crowning moment in the negative story was at the 2024 European Championships at home. Manuel Neuer was fit again in time for the tournament after a serious injury – ter Stegen had represented him the whole year before.

Not the only DFB unlucky person

And here perhaps a small consolation comes into play, because ter Stegen is not the only professional athlete who has suffered such bad luck with the DFB.

One of his predecessors, goalkeeper René Adler (39), was also not so lucky in the national team. He was also considered the future number one in the German goal. “An injury, a missed World Cup, mistakes and further injuries have lined his path downhill since then,” says the goalkeeper, who was in the DFB national team from 2008 to 2013.

“When fate keeps striking” – also sums up the DFB misery of offensive power Marco Reus (35). He was part of the national team from 2011 to 2021, but “injuries kept setting the lightning-fast attacker back”. The most bitter loss for him was probably the one at the 2014 World Cup tournament in Brazil, where the DFB team emerged as winners. Reus was injured shortly before the tournament and could only watch it on television.