Marc-Andre Ter Stegen's misery complete as unwanted feat confirms disaster season
Marc-Andre Ter Stegen had a disastrous season that led to him completing a historic feat that he won't be eager to remember.
The 2025/26 season is over as clubs across the world competed in their final matches of the current campaign over the weekend ahead of many of the best players travelling for the World Cup.
Heading into the final week of the season many of the big winners and losers had already been decided, with Arsenal, Inter Milan, Barcelona, Bayern Munich and Paris Saint-Germain all crowned champions of the 'big five' European leagues.
Several players have also had exceptional individual seasons for their clubs, with Manchester United captain Bruno Fernandes named Premier League Player of the Season.
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Meanwhile, others have had seasons they will hope to forget, with Barcelona legend Ter Stegen likely among them, thanks to his historic 2025/26 season that broke records for the wrong reasons.
Despite only making a handful of appearances this season, the 34-year-old goalkeeper has achieved the rare feat of winning a league title and suffering relegation with his two teams in a single season.
The German goalkeeper is currently on loan at Girona, having left Barcelona to join the other Spanish side during the winter transfer window.
And while he will have no point been celebrating Barcelona securing the league title in the Clasico against Real Madrid, weeks later he will have felt the complete opposite as Girona's relegation to Spain's second division was confirmed after a 1-1 draw with Elche.
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However, it is only fair to mention that since his arrival at Girona, Ter Stegen has made just two appearances for the club, a 1-1 draw against Getafe and a 0-1 defeat to Real Oviedo.
A thigh injury ruled the goalkeeper out of the remainder of the season and, to make matters worse, meant that he missed out on selection for the Germany squad for the World Cup in the USA, Mexico and Canada.
Germany are in Group E at the World Cup and will play Curacao, Ivory Coast and Ecuador, with Manuel Neuer, Oliver Baumann and Alexander Nubel the three goalkeepers included in the squad.
What's next for Marc-Andre Ter Stegen?
Before the recent thigh injury, Ter Stegen faced a spell off of the pitch between September 2024 and December 2025 due to a torn patellar tendon and several back injuries.
Therefore, he has completely fallen out of favour with Barcelona, with Joan Garcia taking his place as the first-choice goalkeeper.
No doubt both Barcelona and Ter Stegen will have hoped that the loan to Girona would have gone well and opened the door for a return to the regular squad or for a permanent move in the summer, with his current deal with the Catalan club running until 2028.
But, his current injury, salary, which is one of the highest in the Barcelona squad, and age means that a move elsewhere may prove to be difficult, leaving Ter Stegen's future in the sport in serious doubt.
Ben McCrum