Flick asks Ter Stegen to decide his future

JAKARTA - Barcelona manager Hansi Flick says Marc-Andre ter Stegen must make a decision about his future after reiterating that Joan Garcia is the club's number 1 goalkeeper at the moment.

Ter Stegen, 33, only made nine appearances last season after a knee injury and missed the start of this season after having back surgery.

The German returned to full fitness earlier this month, but found himself on the bench in the last two games behind Garcia, a player brought in from Espanyol for 25 million euros last summer.

"It's his decision. We have talked about the situation. I have a lot of respect for Marc because he is a fantastic goalkeeper."

"He's a very good player for us, also a good human being for the team, but in the end it's his decision and he has to decide, so it's about that," Flick said in a press conference about Ter Stegen's chances of leaving in January 2026.

Ter Stegen has made 422 appearances since joining from Borussia Monchengladbach in 2014, winning 17 trophies during that time, but that doesn't mean much now.

He is not even guaranteed to get minutes in the Copa del Rey match on Tuesday, December 16, 2025, early morning WIB, against fourth division team Guadalajara.

Garcia will not be involved as he is given a rest ahead of a LaLiga match on Sunday, December 21, 2025, against Villarreal.

However, Flick said he had not decided whether to give a chance to play for Ter Stegen or Wojciech Szczesny.

"Joan will rest. However, today is not the day to make decisions (about who will play). I want to wait until tomorrow."

"Of course, Marc is a fantastic goalkeeper. In goal, we have three great players. I'm very happy with this. We'll see what happens."

"However, it's clear what I said before, Joan is number 1. From there, we'll see what happens."

"Tek (Szczesny) played fantastic last season, we won three titles with him. Also, this season, when Joan was injured, he gave us stability."

"For me, Tek is not only on the field, but also in the locker room, a very important player for us," said Flick.

Barcelona enter the Copa del Rey in the last 32 against Guadalajara, who beat second division side AD Ceuta to progress to that stage.

Flick said his players were ready to take on the challenge of playing against a lower league team as they look to carry their good league form - winning seven games in a row to open up a seven-point lead over Real Madrid at the top of the table - into the domestic cup.

"It's about the attitude and mentality we showed. The players know it. It's about how we started the game, it's the basis of this game."

"In these games, we have to win. We are playing in LaLiga and we are the favourites. So, this is what I want to see from the team."

"They have to be ready and show our quality on the field," said the German coach.