Barcelona star suffers injury 'more serious than ACL'

23 Sept 2024 11:00 BST
3 min read

Barcelona's Marc-Andre ter Stegen receives treatment for an injury suffered against Villarreal — © IMAGO

Barcelona face the prospect of playing out the rest of the year without goalkeeper Marc-Andre ter Stegen, who has suffered a career-threatening injury.

Article continues under the video

The Catalan club are no strangers to serious injury problems, with Pedri just back after a long period out and Gavi convalescing after a knee issue suffered with Spain. In addition, Dani Olmo and Marc Bernal have both been high-profile victims of injury problems lately, with Ronald Araujo also missing.

Frenkie de Jong is on the verge of first-team football again, but this positive news has been tempered by another huge blow relating to Ter Stegen.

The 32-year-old has suffered an injury worse than an ACL rupture, generally considered the most serious problem that a footballer can experience, according to one doctor.

“The patellar tendon has a problem in that it involves knee flexion and muscular power, which makes the recovery more complicated,” Sport reports Dr. Berastegui, an expert in sports injuries to the knee, ankle and foot, explained.

He continued by explaining that Ter Stegen’s history of chronic knee issues will not help.

© IMAGO - Marc-Andre ter Stegen, Barcelona

“Four years ago, cleaning work was carried out because conservative treatment didn’t work,” he added. “Looking at the images, it seems the injury has become more complicated.

“When the tendon ruptures, the entire knee extension system is broken. It is a serious injury, comparable to a ruptured Achilles tendon. It's a long recovery and the operation is almost inevitable to maintain knee function.

“Eight months out? That is defined by the recovery process.”

Who is Barcelona’s backup keeper?

Inaki Pena is set for a prolonged run in Barcelona’s starting XI.

He is a 25-year-old who has come through La Masia but has severely limited first-team experience.

Compared

VS

€34.9M	ETV	€1.9M
€26.2M - €43.6M	ETV Range	€1.4M - €2.3M
32 years old (30 Apr, 1992)	Age	25 years old (02 Mar, 1999)
Germany	Nationality	Spain

In his career, Pena has played just 31 matches, including eight for Galatasaray during a loan spell in the 2021/22 season, in which he was second choice for the Super Lig club.

With an Estimated Transfer Value (ETV) of just €1.9 million, Pena is bound to keep goal for Barca until the January transfer window, when they are likely to seek another goalkeeper in the market, with a loan option possible.

Read more about: La Liga, Barcelona, Inaki Pena, Marc-André ter Stegen