Breakup? The climax of the game between Barcelona and Ter Stegen arrives as Barcelona strips the goalkeeper of his captaincy.

Written by/Cold Ice The dramatic confrontation between Barcelona and German goalkeeper Ter Stegen has reached its peak — on August 7, Barcelona officially announced the removal of Ter Stegen from the captaincy as a penalty for his refusal to submit a medical report. Ter Stegen's recovery period is no longer a medical issue, but rather an "economic issue" concerning Barcelona's ability to register new signings from the summer market. The German goalkeeper does not want to be removed from the roster, as it would prevent him from playing in the first half of the league season, which could impact his qualification for next year's World Cup; Barcelona needs him to be "absent for 4 months" due to injury to free up salary space for new signings. Both sides are unwilling to compromise, ultimately leading to a breakup.

The rift between the two sides had already formed in early July when Barcelona signed 24-year-old young goalkeeper Joan Garcia and renewed the contract with veteran Polish goalkeeper Szczęsny, which Ter Stegen viewed as a "notice to leave." At the end of July, Ter Stegen underwent spinal surgery, hoping to recover quickly and retain his World Cup eligibility. However, Barcelona believes his value has diminished to merely freeing up salary space for the registration of new signings.

Faced with Barcelona's relentless pressure, Ter Stegen chose to confront them head-on. Not only did he announce his surgery a day early on July 24, but he also declared on July 29 that his recovery period would be 3 months post-surgery. Barcelona aims to prove that his recovery period is at least 4 months, requiring a ruling from the La Liga medical committee. However, Ter Stegen refused to provide the necessary surgical doctor's diagnosis and imaging examination data of the injury before and after the surgery, leading to a rapid escalation of conflicts between the two sides.

Ter Stegen's refusal to "cooperate" has infuriated the club's higher-ups. Barcelona has continually sought Ter Stegen to sign an authorization document so that the club could access his medical reports and examination data related to the surgery, but he has declined. The standoff has caused a division in the Barcelona locker room, with players like De Jong, Gavi, Rafinha, and Kubo supporting the club, while Olmo backs the captain, and other players avoid taking a stance.

After the conclusion of the Asian tour, Barcelona hoped to meet with Ter Stegen to resolve the issue, but the German goalkeeper refused. Barcelona cannot force Ter Stegen to agree to submit his surgical medical report, as this would violate EU and Spanish laws regarding personal data and privacy. Previously, Bale had also refused to disclose his medical report, leaving Real Madrid equally helpless. The Spanish Players' Union has even contacted the German goalkeeper, expressing firm support for him.

Currently, Barcelona has no other means of sanctioning Ter Stegen other than stripping him of the captaincy. If they terminate his contract, they would have to pay a penalty, which would increase expenses while reducing the financial space needed for registrations.

Regarding the stripping of Ter Stegen's captaincy, Barcelona's official reason is that the traditional Gamper Cup on Sunday requires the captain to deliver a pre-season motivational speech. Clearly, a captain who has publicly broken with the club cannot "perform his duties." Given that utilizing Ter Stegen's recovery period of 4 months has blocked the path of removing him from the roster for registering other new signings, Barcelona can only try its best to resolve the issue through other means. Barcelona has gained some registration space through player sales and a sponsorship contract with the tourism department of the Democratic Republic of Congo, but it is still far from sufficient.

The decisive financial measure for Barcelona to register new signings remains the audit report for the bundled sale of certain VIP boxes at Camp Nou. Earlier this year, this report, totaling 100 million euros, was rejected by La Liga, but now, with the Barcelona government allowing parts of the renovated Camp Nou to open for the new season, the possibility of La Liga approving the sale of Barcelona's VIP boxes has increased.

However, even if Barcelona ultimately completes the registration through financial means, Ter Stegen's presence will still be a "ticking time bomb." Once the German goalkeeper recovers months later, the competition for the starting goalkeeper position will undoubtedly be a "bloody battle."