Barcelona goalkeeper and captain Marc-Andre ter Stegen suffered a ruptured patellar tendon in his right knee during a 5-1 win over Villarreal this past weekend, and the serious injury puts a question mark over the German shot-stopper’s long-term career.
At 32, ter Stegen is still regarded as one of the top goalkeepers in European football, but after a brilliant 2022/23 season in which he was THE best keeper in Europe, MATS’ performances have declined sharply over the past year.
Currently, young goalkeeper Inaki Pena will get the first crack at proving himself as ter Stegen’s future heir, while Barcelona are coaxing former Juventus, Roma, and Arsenal goalkeeper Wojciech Szczesny out of retirement just a year after he remained one of the best keepers in Italian football.
However, Barcelona are proactively monitoring goalkeepers who can be long-term solutions and short-term upgrades on ter Stegen, and if they decide to go in that direction next summer, one name stands out above the rest.
Per a report from Mundo Deportivo, FC Porto goalkeeper Diogo Costa is the player Barcelona likes the most as a marquee, long-term replacement for Marc-Andre ter Stegen in 2025 and beyond.
Costa has made a name for himself on the international stage with heroics in penalty shootouts, and he also has a steady track record of success in the Portuguese league with three straight seasons above a 71 save percentage.
So far this season, Costa has stopped 83.3 percent of the shots he’s faced for Porto, allowing just 0.50 goals per game. At 25, the 6’1″ goalkeeper isn’t even in his prime and could be recognized as one of the best in the world at a club like Barcelona.
Viewing the landscape of available goalkeepers, Costa may be the best available option in terms of finding a player who can be better than ter Stegen next season and eventually develop into an elite keeper.
Cost could be an issue, with Costa likely being valued at around 50 million euros. Barcelona don’t have much money to spend, but they may be willing to dig deep in order to secure their favored option.
The managing editor of The Trivela Effect, Kevin has 15 years of experience in digital media. He covered Real Madrid from 2019-2022 for The Real Champs as a site manager. His work has been featured in ESPN, Bleacher Report, Yahoo! Sports, NBC Sports, and other major outlets. You can contact him at the site’s official Twitter handle @TrivelaEffect or via the site’s official email thetrivelaeffect@gmail.com.