Marc-Andre ter Stegen News and Analysis

Barcelona star could return earlier than expected from injury, but he’s already lost his job

4Nov

By Joe SorianoNo Comments

LaLiga

Barcelona star could return earlier than expected from injury, but he’s already lost his job

After taking down derby rivals Espanyol 3-1 at the weekend, Barcelona have now coasted past their three most emotionally charged games in a row, dominating Bayern Munich 4-1 in the Champions League before making mincemeat of Real Madrid 4-0 in another lopsided "El Clasico". Barcelona have been the best team in European football to start the 2024/25 campaign under new manager Hansi Flick, and that status is unequivocal after they absolutely demolished the main two contenders to rival their crown - including their chief rivals and defending champions of Spain and Europe. There have been so many breakout performances for Barcelona, and what's most remarkable is how they have overcome a bevy of serious injuries, including to starting players. Captain and goalkeeper Marc-Andre ter Steg...

The latest five goalkeepers Barcelona are monitoring as Marc-Andre ter Stegen replacements

14Oct

By Kevin ParviziNo Comments

Features, LaLiga

The latest five goalkeepers Barcelona are monitoring as Marc-Andre ter Stegen replacements

Barcelona goalkeeper Marc-Andre ter Stegen suffered a torn right patellar tendon in his right knee a couple of weeks ago during a 5-1 win over Villarreal, necessitating young backup Inaki Pena to step into the starting role. Since Pena has no consistent top-level experience as a starter, Barcelona immediately called up former Juventus and Roma starting goalkeeper Wojciech Szczesny to coax a man who was recently Serie A's best keeper out of retirement. Szczesny is now the unquestioned No. 1 in Barcelona, but since he was just retired, the Polish international is nothing more than a stopgap option for Hansi Flick and Co. Barcelona have been busy monitoring the upcoming January and June transfer windows for possible long-term replacements for ter Stegen, whose long-term future in Cat...

Barcelona are already tracking the best possible Marc-Andre ter Stegen replacement

26Sep

By Kevin ParviziNo Comments

Features, LaLiga

Barcelona are already tracking the best possible Marc-Andre ter Stegen replacement

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, Ba...

3 proven LaLiga GKs Barcelona could sign for free to replace Marc-Andre ter Stegen

24Sep

By Kevin ParviziNo Comments

Features, LaLiga

3 proven LaLiga GKs Barcelona could sign for free to replace Marc-Andre ter Stegen

Barcelona star goalkeeper and captain Marc-Andre ter Stegen went down with a horrific right knee injury that has now been diagnosed as a patellar tendon rupture, which will cost the German international the remainder of the 2024/25 LaLiga season. Although ter Stegen had become a target of criticism from Culers recently, he is the second-best goalkeeper in LaLiga and has been one of the best goalkeepers in European football for the past decade. No matter how you spin it, the ter Stegen injury is a big loss for Barcelona, with the promising but unproven Inaki Pena stepping in as the starter. Barcelona could sign a player in the January transfer window if Pena proves inadequate, but even before that, Barca are eligible to sign a free agent on the open market. Mundo Deportivo provided...

This Barcelona January transfer replacement for Marc-Andre ter Stegen could be an upgrade

22Sep

By Kevin ParviziNo Comments

Features, LaLiga

This Barcelona January transfer replacement for Marc-Andre ter Stegen could be an upgrade

Barcelona goalkeeper and captain Marc-Andre ter Stegen suffered a serious right knee injury during the Blaugrana's 5-1 win over Villarreal in LaLiga on Sunday, and he is expected to miss seven to nine months More testing will be carried out to determine the extent of the injury, but, at this juncture, it appears Barcelona will have to assume that the 32-year-old's season is over. Barcelona brought in 25-year-old goalkeeper Inaki Pena off the bench, and he will be the starter at least up until the January transfer window, during which Barca could sign another goalkeeper to replace ter Stegen for the remainder of the 2024/25 campaign. According to a report from Diario Sport, Las Palmas starter Alvaro Valles could be a potential option to replace Marc-Andre ter Stegen in the January ...

Barcelona’s highest-rated players in FC25 are an absolute joke

25Aug

By Joe SorianoNo Comments

Features, LaLiga

Barcelona’s highest-rated players in FC25 are an absolute joke

EA Sports's offering of the football video game FC25 will become available next month on Sept. 27, and the player ratings are being leaked, with Barcelona fans, like any other fanbase, wondering just what in the heck the powers that be over at EA are thinking. It often seems like they aren't watching the games when they come up with the ratings, frequently biasing their evaluations towards aging players who are declining, failing to account for their slip in standard while, on the other hand, not rating up-and-coming superstars properly. Barcelona right winger Lamine Yamal was the best player at the European Championships and was arguably Barca's best player in the 2023/24 LaLiga season at the age of 16, yet he is only rated 81 despite already being a world-class winger. Meanwhile...

4Jun

By Joe SorianoNo Comments

Features, LaLiga

Final 2022/23 LaLiga Team of the Season

Now that the 2022/23 LaLiga season has officially come to a close with all the European places decided and the teams heading to the Segunda aware of their fate, it's time to take a look back at the season that was by naming a final Team of the Season. As expected, champions Barcelona dominate this XI, having sewn up the title quite some time ago with their 2-1 head-to-head win over eternal rivals Real Madrid. But not everything is about the "Big 3" as several underrated standouts made the team, including one star from now-relegated side Espanyol. GK Marc-André ter Stegen, Barcelona: Thibaut Courtois would have been the pick in any other season, and Elche's Édgar Badía was also exceptional despite his club's horrible season. But it would be disingenuous to pick against Marc-André t...

Ranking the 10 best goalkeepers in the world in 2023

17Mar

By Kevin ParviziNo Comments

Features

Ranking the 10 best goalkeepers in the world in 2023

Goalkeepers don't get enough praise in the modern game, even though the best goalkeepers so often make the difference between victory and defeat. Look no further than Thibaut Courtois' heroics throughout the 2021/22 season for LaLiga and Champions League winners Real Madrid. Let's rank the 10 best goalkeepers in world football right now, at this very moment in time. That means the GOAT Manuel Neuer has to be taken out, but once he returns from a broken leg and gets back in form, he will surely rank on this list again. 10. Gianluigi Donnarumma, PSG A hero for the Italian national team in the 2020 European Championships, Gianluigi Donnarumma is a phenom who started his first Serie A match for Milan at the age of 16. Within just a few years, Donnarumma became the best goalkeeper in...

Ranking the 10 best LaLiga goalkeepers of 2023

18Nov

By Kevin ParviziNo Comments

Features, LaLiga

Ranking the 10 best LaLiga goalkeepers of 2023

Thibaut Courtois and Marc-André ter Stegen get plenty of spotlight - as they should. They are the starting goalkeepers for Real Madrid and Barcelona, respectively, and the former of the two clearly established himself as the best in the world after helping lead Los Blancos to the Champions League Title last season. But those two superstars aren't the only great goalkeepers in LaLiga worth getting to know. Let's rank the 10 best LaLiga goalkeepers. Courtois and ter Stegen will feature highly, but who is No. 1? And how many surprises are represented on the list? 10. Jan Oblak, Atlético Madrid If this list were made before the 2021/22 season, Jan Oblak would undoubtedly be in the top three. And there was a point before Thibaut Courtois found his best form in the 2019/20 season that...