Ter Stegen's National Team Call-Up: Klopp Backs, Hamann Critiques
Marc-André ter Stegen has waited years for this. A clear vote of confidence. A run of games as Germany’s undisputed No. 1. He finally has it – and it has lit the fuse of a familiar German debate.
Jürgen Klopp confirmed on Friday that the Barcelona goalkeeper, currently on loan at Ajax, will start both UEFA Nations League matches against Serbia and the Netherlands. The decision rewards a standout season in Amsterdam, where Ter Stegen has rebuilt rhythm and authority behind a young, aggressive side.
Klopp made his stance plain: Ter Stegen is his man for this window. “Marc is having a great season in Amsterdam, and fortunately Ortega and Nübel are also having very good seasons. We will go into these two matches with Marc as our first-choice goalkeeper,” the Germany coach said.
The announcement did not pass quietly.
Hamann tears into the decision
Dietmar Hamann, never one to soften an opinion, went straight for the jugular. Speaking to “Mundo Deportivo”, the former Germany midfielder dismissed the idea that Ter Stegen had earned the shirt at international level.
“I don’t think he deserves it. He hasn’t performed well with the national team,” Hamann said, doubling down on his criticism. He then sharpened the comparison with the giants of the past: “He is the first-choice goalkeeper because we no longer have Manuel Neuer or Oliver Kahn. I don’t think he deserves it.”
No nuance. No caveats. In Hamann’s eyes, Ter Stegen’s club form does not erase an underwhelming body of work with Germany.
The timing stings. Just as Ter Stegen tries to finally lock down the role that has so often seemed just out of reach, his elevation is framed by one of his country’s former internationals as a product of absence, not excellence.
Kahn steps in on the keeper’s side
If Hamann dragged the debate into the red zone, Oliver Kahn pulled it back towards balance. The former Bayern and Germany great, a benchmark for every goalkeeper who followed, offered a very different reading of Klopp’s choice.
Kahn backed both the coach and the player. “At the moment, Ter Stegen looks to be in good shape. He deserved his call-up. Now he has to prove it through his level of performance,” he said.
That last line matters. For Kahn, the shirt can be earned – and then must be defended. Ter Stegen, in his view, has done enough to step through the door. What happens next will be decided where it always should be: on the pitch.
A country split over its No. 1
Germany has seen this movie before. The goalkeeper debate is almost a national sport in itself, from Sepp Maier to Kahn to Neuer and beyond. This time, the argument is not about two world-class options at their peak, but about whether the current heir has truly convinced.
On one side stands Hamann, insisting Ter Stegen’s national-team record does not justify automatic status. On the other stands Kahn, arguing that form, fitness and Klopp’s trust give the Barcelona man every right to start – as long as he now lives up to the responsibility.
The Nations League games against Serbia and the Netherlands will not settle Germany’s footballing soul-searching. They will, however, do something just as important for Ter Stegen: show whether he can turn a contested appointment into an uncontested one.
