Marc André Ter Stegen looked happy on the pitch at the Olímpic Lluís Companys on Sunday after Barça's victory over Girona.
As captain, he was responsible for presenting Eric Garcia with a shirt bearing his name and number 100, the number of matches the Martorell native has played for the Blaugrana first team
The German goalkeeper has reason to be happy. The team's progress is excellent, and his recovery is going well . On March 22, it will be six months since Ter Stegen was injured against Villarreal at the Estadio de la Cerámica. The German suffered a severe fall and completely ruptured the patellar tendon in his right knee. A day later, he underwent surgery by Dr. Joan Carles Monllau under the supervision of club doctors . He was not given time off, but these types of injuries require a recovery period of between six and eight months.
A long and hard road then began for Ter Stegen, who worked from that day on to be able to play again before the end of the season. His recovery has been going very well throughout, and it's been over a month since he put on his gloves and started doing some on-field training . About ten days ago, in fact, FC Barcelona shared some images showing the goalkeeper during his recovery: field work, strength training, stability training, ball exercises, but also impressive saves from shots by goalkeeping coach José Ramón de la Fuente.
Last week, the club shared more images of Ter Stegen training and working in goal, flying past shots from one of his biggest supporters, De la Fuente. And the news couldn't be more positive for the German and for Barça, as the goalkeeper is feeling very well and has no discomfort in his surgically repaired knee. His recovery is going so well that Ter Stegen is expected to return to training with the group after the Champions League quarterfinal tie against Borussia Dortmund .
Will he play?
Returning to training with the group will be a big step for Ter Stegen. He's already supporting the team as captain and will be able to do so from a closer perspective. His goal will be to be able to play a game again before the end of the season, although that may depend on Flick's team's situation in all competitions, as Szczesny, the goalkeeper who came out of retirement to cover for the German, is currently performing at a high level.
If his right knee continues to recover as it has been, Ter Stegen will have a better chance of playing in La Liga, especially if Barça can turn things around before the final matchday. It seems unlikely he'll be able to do so in the Champions League if the Catalans eliminate Borussia Dortmund and reach the semifinals. Ter Stegen was deregistered from European competition to register Szczesny, and if the German wants to play, the Pole would be left without a contract.