Marc-André ter Stegen is worried about his status as captain of FC Barcelona. Hansi Flick indirectly denied reports that the keeper would be stripped of the armband.
Marc-André ter Stegen is no longer the number one goalkeeper and, due to injury, will be sidelined for several months – but he is still FC Barcelona’s first-choice captain. But for how much longer?
Reports have recently been circulating in Spain that the long-standing first-choice keeper will be stripped of the armband ahead of the new season, partly in response to the controversy surrounding his latest Instagram post. However, coach Hansi Flick has now played down the issue.
When asked at a press conference during the Asian tour in South Korea whether ter Stegen would remain captain in the new season, Flick replied matter-of-factly: “As always, the team will decide. That’s how we’ve done it in the past. And then we’ll see.”
Flick announces clarity soon
Clarity will soon prevail. “We usually do that in the last week before we start the season,” said Flick. Barca will play their first competitive game on August 16, when they travel to RCD Mallorca for the La Liga opener.
It remains to be seen whether ter Stegen’s standing, built up over many years, will be enough for his teammates to confirm him as captain despite his sporting demotion. He is currently first captain, followed by Ronald Araujo, Frenkie de Jong, Raphinha, and Pedri. Ter Stegen was only elected a year ago as the successor to long-time FCB professional Sergi Roberto, who moved to then-Serie A newcomers Como 1907 after his contract expired.
Ter Stegen is now only number 3 in goal for the Catalans behind new signing Joan Garcia and Wojciech Szczesny, but he has made no move to leave the club, partly because he needs to get fit again: On Monday, Barca announced that the 33-year-old had undergone successful surgery on his lower back. It is not yet clear how many months he will be out of action, which will also determine whether the cash-strapped club can save a large part of ter Stegen’s salary and use it to register new signings such as Joan Garcia or Marcus Rashford.
