Matthew brings DFB comeback into play
“Then Nagelsmann can deal with new ones”
25.07.2025 – 10:10 p.m.Reading time: 2 min.
National goalkeeper Marc-André Ter Stegen is a long time. What’s next in the DFB goal? Lothar Matthäus comments on thought of thought – for Manuel Neuer.
It is almost a year until the 2026 World Cup in Canada, Mexico and the USA. This is no longer that long to defend and consolidate his place as number one in the German goal: The 33-year-old fails for at least three months after another operation-and will probably no longer get any operations at FC Barcelona even after his recovery. Instead, Barça coach Hansi Flick relies on the young Spaniard Joan Garcia as number one and veteran Wojciech Szczesny as his deputy.
What’s next? For national coach Julian Nagelsmann, Ter Stegen could become a loose candidate in the DFB goal if he did not play in the club. This also means Sky expert Lothar Matthäus-who is now suggesting an unusual solution: “Julian has good alternatives with Oliver Baumann, Alexander Nübel and Bernd Leno,” said the 64-year-old on Friday at the Pay TV station.
But: “If he realizes in the coming months that he cannot trust these options 100 %, of course, you can deal with Manuel Neuer. However, he also has to want and decide whether he wants to face this additional burden in addition to the many games with Bayern Munich,” Matthäus noted. “So Manuel would have to be ready. In the end, he kept well, but was always plagued by injuries.”
There is no such thing as a result of such thought games. Neuer is 39 years old, after the home European Championship European Championships 2024 last summer, after 124 international matches, has drawn a clear line and missed many games in Bayern in the past three years due to injury. Already at the preliminary round in Qatar, the 2014 world champion was no longer free of mistakes.
It is also likely that Nagelsmann will not be able to terminate his commitment to Ter Stegen so quickly-and will probably be the qualification in autumn again with the Bundesliga goalkeepers Baumann (TSG 1899 Hoffenheim) and Nübel (VfB Stuttgart). Both have proven to be reliable in the past Nation’s League season.
For ter Stegen, on the other hand, winter becomes the all -important transfer phase: after a year and a half years almost without a game practice, he will need a club to get on tours before the World Cup.