A paperwork dispute over Marc-Andre Ter Stegen’s injury has cracked open a leadership void at Barcelona, with the German goalkeeper temporarily stripped of his captaincy in a rare public clash between player and club.
The defending La Liga champions announced Thursday that 26-year-old Uruguayan defender Ronald Araujo will take over the armband “until the matter is definitively resolved,” ending – for now – Ter Stegen’s role as first-team captain, a position he has held since the summer of 2023.
“Following the disciplinary proceedings opened against player Marc-Andre ter Stegen, and until this matter is definitively resolved, the club, by mutual agreement with the sporting direction and the coaching staff, has decided to temporarily withdraw his role as first-team captain,” Barcelona said in a statement.
At the heart of the standoff is Barcelona’s need to submit an official medical report to La Liga confirming Ter Stegen’s expected recovery period following lower back surgery performed last week.
Under the league’s financial fair play rules, a club can temporarily exclude a percentage of a long-term injured player’s wages from the salary cap if they are ruled out for at least four months – space that could be used to register new signings or renew key contracts.
Ter Stegen, 33, reportedly told club doctors before the operation that he expected to return in about three months – a timeframe too short for maximum salary-cap relief.
Barcelona’s official statement on the surgery avoided any mention of a target date, saying only that his return “will depend on rehabilitation progress.”
Club officials sought his signature to finalize the report for submission to La Liga, but Ter Stegen refused, according to sources familiar with the matter, concerned that a longer official timeline could create a misleading impression about his fitness and jeopardize his role later in the season.
Financial stakes
The disagreement comes at a sensitive moment for Barcelona, whose finances remain under the microscope.
Saddled with heavy debt and bound by La Liga’s strict spending controls, the Catalan giants have little room to maneuver.
Ter Stegen is one of the highest earners in the squad, and freeing even part of his salary could prove decisive in the final weeks of the transfer window.
The urgency is underscored by the arrival of 23-year-old Joan Garcia from city rivals Espanyol in June, joining backup keeper Inaki Pena and veteran Wojciech Szczesny.
While Flick has goalkeeping depth, none possess Ter Stegen’s blend of reflexes, passing range and authority – both on the pitch and in the dressing room.
History of setbacks
Injuries have become an unwelcome theme in Ter Stegen’s career.
He missed nearly the entire 2024-25 campaign after rupturing a tendon in his knee and underwent a separate back operation in 2023 that sidelined him for two months.
This latest procedure adds to growing questions over his long-term durability, despite a decade of service since arriving from Borussia Mönchengladbach in 2014.
Leadership shift
The decision to hand the armband to Araujo – reached in agreement with manager Hansi Flick and the club’s sporting department – reflects the seriousness of the rift.
Known for his physical dominance, uncompromising defending and vocal presence, the Uruguayan has been groomed for a leadership role and will now guide Barcelona into their La Liga opener later this month.
Spanish outlets report that Ter Stegen held a brief meeting with senior officials earlier this week in an attempt to find common ground.
The club has confirmed disciplinary proceedings are ongoing, with no sign yet of a breakthrough.
Barcelona returned from a preseason tour of Asia on Tuesday, where Flick fine-tuned his squad for a title defense that begins in weeks.
For now, the captaincy change is a temporary measure – but if the deadlock persists, the fallout could stretch beyond the treatment room and into the club’s long-term planning.
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