Emotional farewell message from Marc-André ter Stegen to Barça

FC Barcelona and Marc-André ter Stegen parted ways after 11 and a half seasons on Tuesday night. The Blaugrana team closed the loan of the German goalkeeper to Girona FC for six months and, after the agreement was made official, the '1' and now former Blaugrana captain shared an emotional message on his social media to say goodbye to the club.

With a "see you soon", 'Mats' closed his chapter as a Barça goalkeeper, after 11 and a half years in which he played 423 official matches and won 20 titles. The Mönchengladbach native thanked the support of a locker room that always considered him a leader and a benchmark, beyond his limited playing time in recent months.

Ter Stegen had already said goodbye to the Barça squad and coaching staff on Monday, prior to the team's trip to Prague to face Slavia. On Tuesday afternoon, the 33-year-old underwent his medical examination and, as of Wednesday, he will be training under Míchel at Girona. 

Ter Stegen finishes the longest cycle of his career

Marc-André arrived in Barcelona in the summer of 2014 from the club where he developed, **Borussia Mönchengladbach**, for 12 million euros. During his first two seasons, he shared the Barça goal with **Claudio Bravo**, with the Chilean being the starter in LaLiga and 'Mats' the number 1 in the Champions League and Copa del Rey.

From the 2016/17 season onwards, the German took over the position definitively, retaining undisputed starting status until the beginning of the 2024/25 season. A serious knee injury forced him to miss almost the entire season and, after the good work of **Wojciech Szczesny** in the second half of the season, **Hansi Flick** kept the Pole as the starter after the captain's return.

In the summer of 2025, Barça decided to sign Joan García, the best goalkeeper in LaLiga after a great season with Espanyol, which meant Ter Stegen definitively lost his place. To make matters worse, another back injury forced him to undergo surgery in July, with four months out that sealed his future at the Blaugrana club.

Now, the German is changing scenery, but not city, as he will continue living and playing in Barcelona, but in the Girona jersey. Ter Stegen arrived at Gladbach in 2007 at just 15 years old. 7 seasons later, he signed for Barça at 22 years old with the promise of making history in Spain. In his first season, he won the treble and, 11 and a half years later, he leaves as a Barça legend

Ter Stegen's Farewell to Barça on Social Media

Today is my last day of this season with my teammates and coaching staff of FC Barcelona, and honestly, I have mixed feelings.

Many memories and emotions come to mind right now. For almost 12 years, this club, and especially that locker room, has been my home. A place where I have grown as a player and as a person, and where I have experienced unforgettable moments.

I feel deeply grateful and proud. I love this club, this city, and this country. I carry within me a feeling that will never fade. Your support throughout all these years has been incredible, thank you from the bottom of my heart.

In the locker room: thank you for so many years shared, for the day-to-day together, the laughs, the battles, and the respect. I carry you with me.
I have had the immense honor of wearing the captain's armband, something I will carry with me forever.

My path now continues in Catalonia, and I'm very excited about what's to come. I wish you all the best for the rest of the season and hope to see you lift many more trophiesSee you soon. 💙❤️

Source: @mterstegen1 on Instagram.