German football legend Lothar Matthaus advised Ter Stegen to leave Barcelona immediately, stressing that it was the only way for him to participate with the German national team in the 2026 World Cup.
Ter Stegen was excluded from Barcelona’s plans after the signing of Juan Garcia from Espanyol and the renewal of Szczesny’s contract. Hansi Flick also informed the German goalkeeper that he would be the third-choice goalkeeper and would have no chance of playing next season.
Despite this, Ter Stegen is determined to stay with Barcelona and fight for his place, a decision that Matthäus does not like. On the contrary, he believes the player is wasting everything with this decision.
Matthäus told German media, “In my opinion, Ter Stegen will never play for Barcelona again. If he wants to fulfill his dream of playing in the World Cup, it’s simple: he has to play, and that won’t happen at Barcelona.”
He added, “I understand Ter Stegen’s position. He’s confused about Barcelona and has been the starting goalkeeper there for a long time, but he has to realize the reality and accept that Barcelona has other options.”
He concluded, “There are some decisions that one has to live with. There’s no need to complain. What’s happening is part of football. No player or thing is bigger than the club.”
It’s worth noting that some Spanish newspapers recently reported that Ter Stegen’s agent is looking for another club for him if all his efforts to stay with Barcelona fail.
