This is how the wound between Ter Stegen and Barça was disinfected.

BarcelonaWhile Joan Garcia begins to cause a sensation among the culerada based on saving stops and a daring and enviable footwork, Marc-André ter Stegen finally broadcasts Peace after the storm. He's had his worst summer since landing in Catalonia in 2014, and Barça's first captain is entertaining himself these days by hanging reels on Instagram where he shows off his skills as a barista. He also uses his public profile to broadcast how he is recovering from the operation he underwent at the beginning of August to correct the lower back pain that had been bothering him since the end of last season, when he wanted to push himself to return in the decisive stretch of the League and compete in the final four of the Nations League with Germany.

"The biomechanical evaluation analyzes your body's movement patterns to measure strength, balance, and efficiency," he explains from the gym, where he displays well-toned muscles and a smile that contrasts with the extremely high tension experienced weeks ago with the club with which he has a contract until 2028. The wound must be compared to that caused by Leo Messi's fax in the throes of Josep Maria Bartomeu's presidential term. The Argentine star and the former president never rebuilt their relationship after that dark episode. However, Ter Stegen and Joan Laporta did meet on Friday night before the Joan Gamper Trophy to bring their positions closer for the benefit of the club. The informal meeting ended with the captain's armband reinstated, a disciplinary case closed, and, two days later, with the German delivering the welcome speech for the season to the fans. Barça was subsequently able to register Joan Garcia because he cited Ter Stegen's four-month injury.

This outcome seemed unthinkable just two days before, on August 6, when the goalkeeper used his personal email to remind everyone involved in the controversy of the rights they had in order not to sign the consent that the League requires from clubs that want to obtain fair play financially through injuries. The intricate message, crafted with the support of legal advisors, landed in the inboxes of several Barça departments, including the legal department, and prompted Laporta to go on the offensive. Thus, the following day, August 7, the club implemented the disciplinary measures it had threatened Ter Stegen with days earlier and "temporarily" stripped him of the captaincy, which left the player deeply shaken despite having the support of much of the dressing room. During those hours of high tension, Ter Stegen listened to the advice of several people and ended up signing the consent form. On the 8th, he met with Laporta, and on the 10th, he met with Gamper. In return, he obtained a commitment: to be discharged as soon as he recovers, even if it shortens the four-month period established in the report submitted to La Liga.

Focused on returning to play in three months

In fact, in the unconsensual statement that opened the can of worms, Ter Stegen had predicted he would be sidelined for a maximum of three months, which was interpreted at Barça as a dirty trick to prevent Joan Garcia from being registered. The German's interpretation is very different. "It hurts him to have found himself in the crosshairs through leaks in the press, so he decided to do his own thing," a person who lives with him told ARA and who has missed the dialogue between the parties. "I think there's a lot to improve in terms of communication. Also on my part," Hansi Flick admitted in this regard at a recent event in his home country. All of this ties into Ter Stegen's disappointment, who believes his right to compete for a place between the posts and to fulfill a firm contract is compatible with Barça's commitment to a goalkeeper younger than himself. "If he became so entrenched, it's because he felt stabbed, not because Joan Garcia was signed," they conclude from Sant Joan Despí.

The captain's goal, who has kept the number 1 in the official distribution of numbers, is to be available again in November, make things difficult for Flick and aim for Julian Nagelsmann's call-ups so as not to miss out on his international spot. His four-month absence has served to register Joan Garcia in the short term, but Barça already knows they will have to scrape up more salary margin to ensure the full registration of the Sallent-born goalkeeper. A battle, in any case, that doesn't matter to Ter Stegen, who has around 40 million euros outstanding under his contract and would only consider going out on loan in January if he doesn't have a chance to play in the second half of the season. After next summer's World Cup, the first without the long shadow of Manuel Neuer, he will reassess his situation at Barcelona.