Barcelona captain Marc-Andre ter Stegen announces surgery decision

Barcelona captain and goalkeeper Marc-Andre ter Stegen has announced that he will undergo surgery to resolve an ongoing back issue. The decision could have a major impact on the Blaugrana’s transfer window and their ability to register players.

The club remain over their salary limit, and have already signed Marcus Rashford and Joan Garcia for a total of €25m, with the Manchester United man arriving on loan, albeit with a €14m salary. If ter Stegen was out long-term, Barcelona could have turned to the long-term injury rule to potentially use up to 80% of ter Stegen’s salary limit impact towards registering both players.

Dear Culers,

I wear the colors and jersey of FC Barcelona with great pride, whether on or off the pitch, in moments of success and in difficult times. Today is a personally difficult day for me.

Physically and athletically, I feel in very good shape, although unfortunately I…

— Marc ter Stegen (@mterstegen1) July 24, 2025

Consequences of ter Stegen’s announcement

Ter Stegen explained in an announcement on social media that it was a ‘difficult day’ for him, and that he had come to a decision after talks with medical experts both at Barcelona and externally. He also specifically stated that the recovery time would be around three months.

The significance of this is that in order to use the long-term injury rule to use 80% of his wage space in the salary limit, the minimum requirement is an absence potentially extending to four months. In essence, ter Stegen’s announcement could end Barcelona’s chances of using ter Stegen’s injury to help register competition for the number one spot Garcia.

Barcelona options after ter Stegen surgery

Barcelona were also open to an exit for ter Stegen, including a mutual contract termination, as they try to free up space in their salary limit. The 33-year-old is one of the club’s highest earners, and with the surgery, an exit to another club seems highly improbable.

It means that Barcelona will have to find an alternative method, be it sales or their €100m VIP seat lease being included in their accounts, of freeing up sufficient space to register Rashford, Garcia and Wojciech Szczesny. As things stand, Inaki Pena, who is also seeking an exit, is Barcelona’s only available goalkeeper for the first game of the season.

Barcelona are full of frustration with Ter Stegen right now. @alexpintanel

— barcacentre (@barcacentre) July 24, 2025

Ter Stegen unhappy with Barcelona treatment

The German veteran has not been happy with the signing of Garcia, nor the attempts to force him out. Ter Stegen did not take kindly to disparaging reports being leaked about his character. Despite being told by Hansi Flick that he will be third choice next season, he has vowed to fight on for his place.

Barcelona are reportedly unhappy with his announcement – their only recourse to alter the situation would be to produce a medical report that disagrees with ter Stegen. The entire sequence of events exemplifies the broken relationship between club and captain.

Marc-Andre ter Stegen’s full statement

Dear Culers,

I wear the colours and jersey of FC Barcelona with great pride, whether on or off the pitch, in moments of success and in difficult times. Today is a personally difficult day for me

Physically and athletically, I feel in very good shape, although unfortunately I am not free from pain. After intensive discussions with the FC Barcelona medical team and external experts, the quickest and safest way for me to fully recover is through back surgery.

After my last operation on my back, I returned to the pitch after 66 days—almost two months; this time, the doctors believe about three months will be necessary as a precaution, to avoid any risks.

Emotionally, it hurts a lot not being able to support the team during this time. Fortunately, the rehabilitation is manageable and the road back is clear.

I will keep you updated on my recovery and I sincerely want to thank you all, dear Culers, for always being by my side.

Don’t worry—I’ll be back!

Yours, Marc