After a long injury break
Ter Stegens Barça-comeback: hopes for the DFB team also
Marc-André Ter Stegen denies his first game after over 220 days. His trainer is very satisfied, but also makes an announcement. At the DFB, the return is followed closely.
A month before the duel of the national team with Portugal and superstar Cristiano Ronaldo in the Nations League, Germany’s number one is back between the posts. “Happy to be back in the field with the team,” wrote Marc-André Ter Stegen on Instagram. 223 days after his serious knee injury, the 33-year-old gave his comeback in the goal of FC Barcelona. “Ter Stegen showed how good he is,” emphasized his trainer and compatriot Hansi Flick.
The fact that his first minutes in the goal ran as they had neither flicked nor the footbridges in the goal. After less than six minutes, Ter Stegen could only watch helplessly how the ball sank over him into the far corner and FC Valladolid, already a descending bottom of the table in the Spanish football league, led 1-0. Iván Sánchez’s shot was deflected unsustainably for the German goalkeeper.
“The greeting was not exactly flattering: a goal after a rebound when it had hardly started,” wrote “Mundo Deportivo”. “The best thing is that he was not impressed by it and showed some good parades.” And so the Catalans also took the next step on the way to the title in Primera División thanks to the returnee.
In the next very important games, Flick will do without his compatriot. Both in the semi-final second leg of the Champions League on Tuesday at Inter Milan after the wild 3: 3 in Barcelona and at home on Sunday in the possibly (before) decisive Clásico against Real Madrid will be in goal. “This is our plan,” said Flick.
“The captain is back”
Nevertheless, the comeback not only gives his team in the final phase of the triple fight – Barça is already a decent thrust. “The captain is back,” wrote FC Barcelona proudly.
The DFB team should not be different. “If he is fit and healthy and 100 percent powerful, then he will be number one,” said national coach Nagelsmann in March about Ter Stegen’s status as a World Cup goalkeeper for 2026.
On September 10, last year, his last international match was 2-2 against the Netherlands. It was his 42nd assignment, but only the second as number one of the DFB team after ex-world champion Manuel Neuer had declared his resignation after the home European Championship.
Nagelsmann also hit the injury to the keeper all the bitter. In the game against FC Villarreal, Ter Stegen had torn the patella tendon in the right knee. In the following game, his teammates wore T-shirts with the inscription “Molta forca, Capità” and in German “stay strong, captain”. In order to compensate for the long -term failure of Ter Stegen, the Catalans won Szczęsny – the now 35 -year -old former Polish national goalkeeper had already ended his career last summer.
Nübel and Baumann made their debut
New solutions also had to be used in the national team. In October Oliver Baumann (34) from TSG 1899 Hoffenheim and Alexander Nübel (28) from VfB Stuttgart made their debut. Both were also used in the Nations League in November before Nagelsmann committed themselves to Baumann for the quarter-final games against Italy as a short-term number.
A little time now remains, as well as Nagelsmann, until he has to commit himself and, if necessary, re -evaluate the situation. Should Ter Stegen not reach the necessary level again, “the fight is open for all goalkeepers for number one,” Nagelsmann also emphasized. The semi-finals in the Nations League against ex-European champion Portugal will take place on June 4th in Munich. Maybe then with ter Stegen.
dpa
Source: Stern
I am Pierce Boyd, a driven and ambitious professional working in the news industry. I have been writing for 24 Hours Worlds for over five years, specializing in sports section coverage. During my tenure at the publication, I have built an impressive portfolio of articles that has earned me a reputation as an experienced journalist and content creator.
