Klopp makes ter Stegen number one – happy ending in sight
Jürgen Klopp has named Marc‑André ter Stegen as number one for the German national team – and that “for the moment” ahead of four other candidates. The goalkeeper is, after his return to former form at Ajax Amsterdam, injury‑free again and is considered the best replacement for Manuel Neuer.
Klopp declares ter Stegen number one
At the press conference where Jürgen Klopp announced the DFB squad for the first matches, he made his choice of ter Stegen clear. He emphasized that a stable defensive axis with the goalkeeper is a prerequisite for a young, tempo‑ and gegenpressing‑oriented team. “He is fit at the moment, he is exactly the same goalkeeper he was before – we looked at that very closely and he brings the necessary experience,” Klopp said.
Ter Stegen has already made seven appearances for Ajax and missed only the last league match out of pure precaution. The club confirms that he has been injury‑free since the start of the season. Thus he meets the criterion that Klopp highlighted as decisive for the selection.
The goalkeeper's past, however, was marked by frequent absences due to injuries, often reminiscent of the myth of Sisyphus. Time and again he had to restart the battle for number one in the national team. The source asks whether he is again the old one, again the best.
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Injury‑laden career and new beginning
On 22 September 2024, ter Stegen suffered a patellar tendon rupture in a league match against Villarreal and was out of action for 214 days. After this long break he was dropped by Barcelona, but returned in June 2025 for the national team and was fit in time for the Nations League semi‑final. In the summer a back operation followed, which meant another five months of pause, and a loan move to Girona ended after only two appearances with a thigh injury, causing him to miss the 2026 World Cup.
After Manuel Neuer, who after the European Championship and a defeat to Spain ended his national team career, returned again, he now retired for good, leaving the first‑choice goalkeeper position vacant once more. Ter Stegen sees this as his latest attempt to finally compete in a tournament as the first‑choice goalkeeper.
After his move to Ajax he said: “I am in top shape and am very happy that I can stand on the pitch and play without any problems. Hopefully I can take part in every game this season.” These words underline his confidence for the upcoming task.
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Perhaps this will lead to a happy ending for ter Stegen, while at the same time Finn Dahmen, Alexander Nübel, Jonas Urbig and Noah Atubolu were nominated for the European Championship. Klopp explicitly described ter Stegen as “for the moment” number one in his nomination, which sums up the current situation.