Jürgen Klopp Names Marc-André ter Stegen as Germany's No. 1 Goalkeeper
Jürgen Klopp has wasted no time putting his stamp on Germany.
In his first major call as national team coach, he has ended years of debate in one sweep: Marc-André ter Stegen will be Germany’s new No. 1.
According to German daily "Bild", Klopp has made his decision and communicated it clearly. Ter Stegen, the Barcelona goalkeeper currently on loan at Ajax, will start in goal for the four-time world champions.
Klopp didn’t leave the news to an email or a staffer. He picked up the phone himself. The 34-year-old heard directly from the new Bundestrainer that he has his full trust and a guaranteed place in Klopp’s first squad, which will be announced next Thursday.
For Ter Stegen, it closes a bruising chapter. He missed the last World Cup through injury and then disappeared from the national team picture for more than a year, watching his international career drift toward the shadows. Now, he returns not just as a squad member, but as the man between the posts.
The stage for his comeback could hardly be more symbolic. His first game back is set for 24 September in Amsterdam, in a UEFA Nations League clash against the Netherlands. It is the city he now calls home as Ajax’s goalkeeper, the stadiums and streets already familiar, the stakes anything but routine.
Baumann era ends
Every bold decision has a casualty. Here, it is Oliver Baumann.
Reports across several German outlets state that Klopp has opted to leave the Hoffenheim goalkeeper out of his squad entirely. After years spent living in the shadow of Manuel Neuer, serving as a loyal backup without ever truly breaking through, Baumann now finds himself out of the frame altogether.
It feels like the closing of a goalkeeping era for Germany. Neuer’s long reign has faded, and with Baumann’s omission, another page turns.
Behind Ter Stegen, though, the contest is wide open and fierce.
- Bayern Munich’s young keeper Jonas Urbig and Beşiktaş stopper Alexander Nübel are currently leading the chase for the remaining goalkeeping spots.
- Both bring the profile of a new generation, pushing hard behind an established name.
- Augsburg’s Finn Dahmen is also firmly in the mix and has a realistic shot of being called up as part of Klopp’s first group.
- Loris Karius, despite his resurgence with Schalke and his long history with Klopp from their Liverpool days, is expected to remain on the fringes.
- His form has improved, his story is compelling, but for now his role in the national setup looks minor.
Klopp has made his first big choice. Ter Stegen has his shirt back. The question now is simple: who will be brave enough — and good enough — to stand in line behind him in this new German era?
