Barcelona goalkeeper Marc-André ter Stegen has been given back the captain’s armband just a day after it was taken away. A disagreement over his injury and medical paperwork had caused the issue.
The 33-year-old had surgery on his back in July. If the club could prove he would be out for four months or more, La Liga rules would have allowed Barcelona to save most of his wages and use that money to register new signings.
However, Ter Stegen posted online that he would be out for three months – not enough time to qualify for this rule. He was also reportedly refusing to let the club share his medical records with La Liga.
On Friday, he changed his stance, signed the necessary forms, and said he wanted to help the club solve the issue. In a social media post, he called claims that his injury was being used to register new players “unfair and untrue” and added that all new signings were completed before his surgery.
Barcelona have recently signed goalkeeper Joan Garcia from Espanyol and brought in Marcus Rashford on loan from Manchester United.
Ter Stegen has played over 400 games for Barcelona since joining in 2014 and has won the Champions League, six La Liga titles, and several other trophies.
