Barcelona’s perfect start to the season has only been marred by the injuries that have targeted Flick’s team. The latest is particularly serious because it will deprive the Blaugrana of their first-choice goalkeeper for the entire season: at the end of the first half of the 5-1 victory away to Villarreal, Marc-Andre ter Stegen He was carried out in tears on a stretcher and taken to hospital for tests. The German international suffered a ruptured patellar tendon in his right knee and will return in eight months.
Charles AncelottiReal Madrid coach, wished the Catalans’ number one a speedy recovery: “I want to tell you that I am very sad about the injury of important players like Ter Stegen, one of the best goalkeepers in the world. I hope he recovers soon. Too many games? At the moment we can’t do much, because as I said nothing will change this season, but we can reflect. The world of football must do so”.
Barcelona’s statement on ter Stegen’s injury: “Examinations carried out on first-team player Marc ter Stegen confirm that he has suffered a complete rupture of the patellar tendon in his right knee. He will undergo surgery on Monday afternoon. The Barça goalkeeper had to leave the pitch at the Estadio de la Cerámica at the end of the first half: the German international was visibly in pain and was quickly replaced by Iñaki Peña.
The Barça captain has been on the pitch every time this season. His appearance against Villarreal was his 289th for the Blaugrana and has taken him past legendary goalkeeper Antoni Ramallets into third place in the all-time list of goalkeepers with the most appearances for Barcelona.