FC Barcelona has finally received the green light from La Liga’s Medical Committee to classify Marc-André ter Stegen’s injury as long-term.
The decision, confirmed on Wednesday, opens the door for the club to register new signing Joan García, and it comes after months of tension between the German goalkeeper and the Catalan giants.
According to the club via its official website, García’s registration will be formalised on Thursday, making him eligible for Saturday’s La Liga opener against Real Mallorca. The ruling also means Barça can free up part of ter Stegen’s wages under league rules, easing some of their salary cap headaches.
The Club’s statement reads:
“FC Barcelona hereby announces that LaLiga’s Medical Committee has ruled that goalkeeper Marc-André ter Stegen’s injury meets the long-term injury criteria established by current regulations.
The club will proceed tomorrow to immediately formalise the registration of player Joan García.”
García, brought in from city rivals RCD Espanyol, is now set to slot straight into Hansi Flick’s squad. But getting to this point was far from straightforward. Softfootball understands that the saga began in July during the UEFA Nations League semifinals, when ter Stegen complained of back pain.
Surgery became a possibility, which would rule him out for months, but Barcelona needed his medical records to prove he’d miss at least four months before unlocking wage relief.
That’s where the clash started. Ter Stegen refused to release the records, triggering a standoff that saw the club strip him of the captain’s armband and open disciplinary proceedings.
Eventually, the two sides patched things up, with the keeper agreeing to cooperate and even publicly declaring his love for the club, but the dispute had already left its mark on their relationship.
The German shot-stopper, a six-time La Liga champion with nearly 300 appearances for Barcelona, will now be sidelined for an extended spell. While his absence will be felt, the immediate priority for the club is clear: register García and prepare for Mallorca.
Still, the work isn’t done. Barcelona must also find a way to register other high-profile signings, including Marcus Rashford, Roony Bardghji, Wojciech Szczęsny, and Gerard Martin. For now, though, the storm over the goalkeeping position seems to have passed, even if some bruises remain.
