‘It’s Clear’—Hansi Flick Addresses Marc-Andre ter Stegen Saga Following Goalkeeper’s Recovery

Barcelona and Marc-André ter Stegen were on the brink of war during the summer.

Marc-André ter Stegen’s status at Barcelona remains clear. / Alex Caparros/Getty Images

Barcelona manager Hansi Flick confirmed his clear decision on Marc-André ter Stegen’s immediate future at the club during a press conference on Tuesday, revealing the goalkeeper will not return to the starting XI.

Ter Stegen has recovered from his back surgery carried out at the end of July, which had put the captain and his club on the brink of war.

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Perhaps annoyed at having Joan García brought in as a new starter over his head, the German dug in and refused the chance to leave. When his surgery meant an enforced absence anyway, Barcelona wanted to use it as an opportunity to register summer signings they didn’t have salary budget for.

To do that, La Liga’s medical commission had to consider Ter Stegen’s injury as “long-term,” but the German refused to provide consent for his records to be turned over, prompting Barcelona to open disciplinary proceedings and strip him of the captaincy until he relented. Eventually, he did.

Now that Ter Stegen is healthy again, it opens up the debate as to what his status on the team is.

The short answer is that he doesn’t really have one of much note.

Flick isn’t against using Ter Stegen in a backup role, but that is about all he can expect, given the manager’s enduring faith and loyalty towards García.

“It’s clear, Joan is my number one goalkeeper,” Flick told reporters on Monday, additionally confirming that Ter Stegen “could be included” on the bench against Eintracht Frankfurt in the Champions League this week.

With Wojciech Szczęsny re-signed to second season-long contract in July, Ter Stegen was relegated to third choice in the goalkeeper depth chart and local reports have indicated that hasn’t changed.

Ter Stegen has been training this week. / Lluis GENE/AFP/Getty Images

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Flick Admitted Barcelona Mistakes Over Ter Stegen Saga

Speaking at an awards event in Germany in August, Flick explained it was always the club’s plan to have García become the immediate new starter, but conceded that things could have been handled better from the club’s side when it came to Ter Stegen’s place within that.

“With Joan García, we have a very young, talented goalkeeper who is at a very high level. Everyone decided together that he should be the future of Barça. So, ultimately, it was clear what our approach would be,” Flick said.

“Whether everything has always been so good in terms of communication [with Ter Stegen] ... I think there's a lot that can be improved. From my side too.

Hansi Flick regrets some of what happened in summer 2025. / Alex Caparros/Getty Images

“It’s important to me that Marc and the club have come closer together and have genuinely sought communication. For me, it’s now important that Marc comes back [from injury]. He’s a top goalkeeper! He’ll get all the support he needs from us so he can truly play at his level again.”

Whether Ter Stegen, who has never been Germany’s starting goalkeeper at a major international tournament, takes the opportunity to move on in January to get the game time he would need to challenge Manuel Neuer for the No. 1 spot remains to be seen.

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