La Liga Delivers Crushing Blow to Barcelona Over ter Stegen's Season-Ending Injury
The Marc-André ter Stegen situation at Barcelona has reached its conclusion—at least for the summer transfer window—after La Liga determined that the goalkeeper's back problem will keep him out of action for an extended period.
Barcelona issued an official announcement revealing La Liga's medical panel's decision, a ruling that provides the Catalans with a much-needed advantage.
"FC Barcelona hereby confirms that La Liga's Medical Committee has determined that goalkeeper Marc-André ter Stegen's injury satisfies the long-term injury requirements outlined in existing regulations," the announcement stated.
"The club will proceed tomorrow to immediately complete the registration of player Joan García."
La Liga's classification of Ter Stegen's injury as meeting long-term standards enables Barcelona to remove a significant portion of his wages and use those funds to register new acquisitions. Goalkeeper García will benefit from this decision and will be eligible to feature in Barcelona's 2025–26 La Liga opener against Mallorca on Saturday.
Ter Stegen had lower-back surgery on July 29. Initially, he stated he would be out for just three months. Several days afterward, he declined to grant the club permission to share his medical records with La Liga, leading Barcelona to temporarily remove the captaincy from the German keeper.
The goalkeeper subsequently changed his position and Barcelona submitted all required medical documentation to La Liga on Aug. 8. The Catalans were pressed for time given that Iñaki Peña, who hadn't featured for a single minute during preseason, was their only available goalkeeper for the season opener. Now, their primary strategy has come to fruition and García will guard the goal against Mallorca, as intended.
This development is undoubtedly positive news for Barcelona, though work remains to be done. The club must still find a solution to register four additional players—Marcus Rashford, Roony Bardghji, Wojciech Szczęsny, Gerard Martín—before the campaign begins.
Furthermore, this decision could well indicate that Ter Stegen has potentially made his last appearance for Barcelona.