Barcelona captain looking to compete with new signing during the second half of the season | OneFootball

Marc-Andre ter Stegen is going through a precarious situation at Barcelona right now.

After much drama over a medical report earlier in the summer, the German’s salary was finally used to register new signing Joan Garcia, his direct competitor.

Currently sidelined due to surgery for at least four months, ter Stegen won’t be available for Barcelona during the first half of the campaign.

Ter Stegen looking to compete with Garcia

However, the German goalkeeper has not completely lost his hope.

According to Diario SPORT, Ter Stegen knows that Garcia is the club’s bet for the present and the future.

However, the former Gladbach star aspires to return in the second half of the season to compete for the goalkeeping spot and regain his position as Barcelona’s undisputed No.1.

Joan Garcia has been a solid performer for Barcelona in the first two matches. (Photo by Alex Caparros/Getty Images)

In fact, the 32-year-old has already started showing encouraging signs in his recovery. He followed the team’s pre-season closely and even celebrated Barça’s comeback win against Levante on social media.

This public message is also being interpreted as an effort from the captain to leave behind the controversy surrounding his refusal to sign the medical report earlier in the summer.

For now, Ter Stegen is focused on recovering from his lower back problems. If everything goes to plan, he will be fit to return in early 2026.

That would allow him to compete directly with Joan Garcia, who has been entrusted by Hansi Flick and the board as the club’s long-term solution in goal.

Keeping that in mind, it will be interesting to see how things transpire during the second half of the campaign, where Barcelona must re-register ter Stegen through fresh capital in order for the German to play.