Nagelsmann delivers ter Stegen verdict ahead of World Cup

It has been a miserable season for Marc-Andre ter Stegen, who has made only three appearances for Barcelona and Girona. The 33-year-old missed almost the entire first half of the season as he was recovery from back surgery, and after moving to Montilivi, he featured twice before tearing his hamstring.

There is little chance of ter Stegen returning to action before April, which means he would have a matter of weeks to get himself up to speed ahead of this summer’s World Cup. He has hopes of being Germany’s starter at a major tournament for the very first time, although his injury woes have left these in tatters.

Recent comments by Germany head coach Julian Nagelsmann have appeared to back this up. As per Sempre Barca, he has admitted that ter Stegen’s current situation makes it difficult for him to be called up for the World Cup.

“There are three things to consider regarding the goalkeeper position. It’s a tragic injury (for ter Stegen), which I deeply regret. I will never rule him out completely because it is his turn. We have to make the right decision for him and for us. And at the moment, the situation is not favourable.”

2026 World Cup could be ter Stegen’s last

Given that he is 33 years of age, ter Stegen will not have too many years left in football – especially consider his recent injury woes. This summer’s World Cup would have been the perfect time for him to be a starter for Germany at a major tournament, and at this stage, it appears that it will pass him by.

Germany have a number of talented younger goalkeepers rising through the ranks, such as Bayern Munich’s Jonas Urbig and Freiburg’s Noah Atubolu. Both will fancy their chances of ousting ter Stegen in the coming years, and especially before the 2030 World Cup in Spain, Portugal and Morocco.