Joan Garcia made his first appearance in a Barcelona shirt during Hansi Flick’s first friendly against Vissel Kobe in Japan, a 3-1 victory for the Catalans.
Garcia’s appearance sparked controversy after he wore the number 1 shirt, supposedly belonging to Ter Stegen. The German goalkeeper did not travel with Barça on the Asian tour due to back surgery.
With Garcia wearing the number 1 shirt, speculation continued that this was a new disciplinary decision by Barcelona against Ter Stegen, following the previous decision to strip him of the captaincy due to his statement about his injury, which greatly angered Joan Laporta’s management.
However, Hansi Flick denied this in a press conference after the friendly match, confirming that the numbers worn by players on the Asian tour are only for friendly matches and are likely to change again at the start of the season.
It’s no secret that Barcelona is seriously considering retiring Ter Stegen’s No. 1 shirt and giving it to Garcia, further indicating that the German goalkeeper has no future at Camp Nou. However, a final decision has not yet been made.
Meanwhile, Flick announced that the primary plan for new signing Ronnie Bardez is for him to remain with the first team next season, but it now depends on whether he can adapt and perform well in training.
The Swede of Syrian origin scored a brilliant goal in his first appearance for Barça, and he is viewed as a potential replacement for Lamine Yamal on the right wing next season.
