Injuries can play a huge role in shaping competitions like the 2026 World Cup. For Germany, that became an issue in a very important position long ago, as Marc-André ter Stegen will not represent his country.
Ter Stegen is missing the competition because he was not called up by Julian Nagelsmann. However, the manager’s decision was not technical. It was an injury that ruled the goalkeeper out.
In just his second match at Girona, Ter Stegen suffered a severe tear in his left hamstring in January that required surgery. The timeline was too tight for him to make it back in time, and he ultimately could not recover before the squad was announced.
Ter Stegen’s season
It was a completely unexpected nightmare season for Ter Stegen. While still at Barcelona last year, a back injury became more difficult to deal with and required surgery that kept him out almost until the end of the campaign.
Neuer was called back by Nagelsmann after retiring from Germany (Alexander Hassenstein/Getty Images)
With Joan García now established in the lineup, the goalkeeper looked for a different club to get more minutes and keep his place in Germany, deciding to join Girona on loan with that goal in mind.
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While Girona finished La Liga in the relegation zone, that may well have been because Ter Stegen was almost never able to play. The goalkeeper started in the 1-1 draw with Getafe and the 1-0 loss to Real Oviedo before the injury forced him out.
The replacement
After it was confirmed that Ter Stegen would miss nearly four months, Nagelsmann saw Oliver Baumann of TSG Hoffenheim as the replacement. However, that did not happen in the end. The manager instead opted to convince Manuel Neuer to come out of Germany retirement and join the squad.
