Marc-Andre ter Stegen suffers serious injury against Villareal

During the first half of FC Barcelona's La Liga match against Villarreal on Sunday, Marc-Andre ter Stegen, the custodian, was taken off on a stretcher after appearing to have suffered a serious injury.

After catching a high ball, the German crashed to the ground severely. His teammate instantly motioned for the ambulance. Hansi Flick's injury difficulties worsened when FC Barcelona's medical staff promptly requested a stretcher and removed the custodian.

The fact that ter Stegen's damage was to his right knee—which has been bothering him for a while may be the most worrying aspect of his wound. Ter Stegen suffered damage to his right knee's patellar tendon back in 2021, necessitating surgery. Therefore, more damage to his right knee could be problematic for the former Gladbach goalie. 

After the German goalie received a lot of flak over the course of the last day, Real Betis shotstopper Rui Silva defended Barcelona skipper Marc-Andre ter Stegen. In the opening match of the UEFA Champions League on Thursday night, Barça lost 2-1 to AS Monaco, with Ter Stegen being among the main offenders. 

“Even goalkeepers who are completely focused make mistakes

Early in the match, the 32-year-old gave a foolish pass to Eric Garcia, who was sent off, which placed the Catalans behind. Subsequently, the top-ranked German player conceded two goals that a superior custodian would have ideally prevented. Naturally, Ter Stegen has come under fire from supporters, who have demanded that he be replaced on the team.

The Real Betis said, “When a goalkeeper fails, it’s unpleasant, but that has always happened and it will continue to happen. We have to understand that we are human. It’s impossible to be one hundred per cent infallible.”

The Portugal goalkeeper said, “Even goalkeepers who are completely focused make mistakes. I think it’s a bit unfair that we’re being punished, because that’s not the case when a striker misses. Marc-Andre is top-notch and has a great capacity to adapt. He’s been proving his quality for many years and I’m sure he’ll recover very quickly, that’s what makes the difference between some players and others.”