“Situation is not easy”
Baumann reacts to ter Stegen’s injury
02/05/2026 – 8:28 p.mReading time: 2 minutes
In the absence of the injured DFB goalkeeper Marc-André ter Stegen, Oliver Baumann’s chances of being the German number one at the World Cup increase.
Marc-André ter Stegen actually wanted to acquire the necessary match fitness for the 2026 World Cup with his loan move to FC Girona. After just two appearances for his new club, the goalkeeper suffered a major setback: He sustained a thigh injury, had to undergo surgery on Friday and was out for several months.
What amounts to a drama for Germany’s designated number one, in turn, increases Oliver Baumann’s chances of not only traveling to the World Cup as a substitute. But that’s not the goalkeeper’s first thought about his colleague’s fate.
“I empathize extremely. He didn’t have it easy with the first injury, now the second one came because he was just fit again,” Baumann expressed his condolences in an interview with RTL/ntv and “sport.de”. A ruptured patellar tendon put Ter Stegen out of action for months last season, and a back injury in the first half of this season.
“I wrote to him. That’s just normal, you wouldn’t wish that on anyone,” reported Baumann. “I’m keeping my fingers crossed that he gets fit again quickly. The situation is not easy.”
Ter Stegen himself confirmed on Thursday that he would be out for several months, meaning he will not be available for the two international matches at the end of March in Switzerland and against Ghana. Baumann knows exactly what the DFB team is missing: “He’s a very good guy and a very good goalkeeper who you can always learn something from”
The 35-year-old TSG Hoffenheim goalkeeper represented Ter Stegen flawlessly during the World Cup qualification. As a result, Baumann now has the best chance of staying in the German goal.
