Disappointed but committed – Ter Stegen’s reaction to Barcelona stripping him of captaincy | OneFootball

Earlier today, FC Barcelona made an announcement confirming that they had taken away the first-team captaincy from Marc-Andre ter Stegen temporarily as he faces disciplinary actions from the club owing to his refusal to sign a key medical report.

The issue has been festering for a while now and Barça, after being angered by the 33-year-old’s decision, acted by stripping him of the captain’s armband.

How has Ter stegen taken the news?

Now, according to Santi Ovalle on Cadena SER, the removal of the armband does not change Ter Stegen’s intentions – he is aiming for a recovery period of two to three months and wants to continue as Barça’s captain once he returns.

Ter Stegen visited the training facilities today, hours before the club announced the withdrawal of his captaincy. During the visit, he met with Dr Ricard Pruna but did not receive any direct communication from Hansi Flick, Deco, or Joan Laporta regarding the decision.

Despite this development, Ter Stegen remains fully committed to Barcelona. He intends to recover from his back injury, return to compete for a place in the starting XI, and continue wearing the captain’s armband.

The player’s camp denies any frustration over the arrival of Joan Garcia, stating that the 33-year-old welcomes the competition. He considers Garcia a talented goalkeeper and maintains a good relationship with Wojciech Szczesny and the rest of the squad.

Why is Ter Stegen refusing to sign the medical report?

No longer captain. (Photo by Eric Alonso/Getty Images)

Following back surgery performed by Dr Amelie Leglise in France, Ter Stegen maintains that his expected recovery period is between two and three months. This contrasts with the four to five months estimated by the club.

One of the reasons he chose to return to Dr Leglise is that she successfully operated on him last year, and he was back on the pitch within two months. The club, however, considers this a relapse and believes the downtime will extend to four or five months.

Beyond the medical disagreement, Ter Stegen is disappointed by the lack of communication from president Joan Laporta. There has been no conversation between the two throughout the ongoing conflict – something the goalkeeper finds difficult to understand.

Ter Stegen would have preferred a clear and direct message rather than what he views as a ‘cold war’ behind his back.

The 33-year-old feels that his image has been unfairly damaged in the eyes of the fans and denies several stories that have circulated publicly, including claims that he refused to address fans at Montjuic at the end of the last season.

The goalkeeper is currently considering whether to speak publicly about the situation. In the meantime, he continues to focus on his recovery, aiming to return as a key figure in the team.