Barcelona have reinstated Marc-André ter Stegen as first-team captain, just 24 hours after stripping him of the role amid a dispute over his medical records.
The club confirmed on Friday that the 33-year-old goalkeeper had authorised them to send his medical report to La Liga, closing a disciplinary case opened earlier in the week.
The disagreement centred on discrepancies regarding the recovery timeline for his recent lower back surgery, which he underwent successfully last week.
Barcelona required Ter Stegen’s signed injury report to send to the Spanish league to clear salary-cap space and facilitate the registration of other players without breaching financial fair play rules.
“The disciplinary case has been closed, and the player is captain of the first team once again with immediate effect,” the club said in a statement.
Ter Stegen described the past few months as “especially difficult” and rejected claims that he was responsible for delays in registering new players. He stressed that his surgery and rehabilitation plan had been fully approved by the club.
“Like any player, after suffering an injury, my only priority has always been to return to the field as soon as possible to help the team,” he wrote on social media. “Completely unfounded things have been said about me, so it is necessary to express my version with respect but also with clarity.”
