Former Premier League goalkeeper offers to come out of RETIREMENT at 41 to answer Barcelona SOS call after Marc-Andre ter Stegen’s season-ending injury

Barcelona are considering signing another goalkeeper after Marc-Andre ter Stegen picked up a season-ending knee injury during their 5-1 victory over Villarreal on Sunday afternoon. 

Ter Stegen was stretchered off the pitch after tearing his patellar tendon – which connects the kneecap to the shinbone – in his right knee. He was later pictured in a wheelchair at the hospital. 

Given Ter Stegen will be out of action for at least eight months, Barcelona will need a replacement and are said to be assessing whether they should make an emergency free-agent signing or wait until the January transfer window. 

In the meantime, former Manchester City and Barcelona goalkeeper Claudio Bravo has stated he would ‘come out of retirement’ and play for the club for the remainder of the 2024-2025 campaign. 

‘If Barcelona want me, I will be ready to come out of retirement’, he told WinWin All Sports, as quoted by Fabrizio Romano on X (formerly known as Twitter). 

Ter Stegen was stretchered off the pitch after tearing his patellar tendon – which connects the kneecap to the shinbone – in his right knee. He was later pictured in a wheelchair at hospital

Bravo played 75 times for Barcelona during his two-year spell at the club. During that time he won nine nine major titles, including the league and cup double in both of his two years, as well as the Champions League and the Clubs World Cup. 

Bravo – who has previously gone on record saying he didn’t always see eye-to-eye with Ter Stegen – kept 43 clean sheets during his time at the Catalans. 

In the summer of 2016, Bravo decided to sign for Premier League giants Manchester City. After four years there, the goalkeeper moved back to Spain and Real Betis.  

Bravo’s Manchester City career, from 2016 to 2020, had its ups and downs – with many stating he struggled in the Premier League. 

Having signed for £17million, Bravo was brought in by Pep Guardiola to replace Joe Hart and implement his vision of a goalkeeper who excelled with the ball at his feet. 

Despite his strong distribution, Bravo struggled with shot-stopping, and a series of high-profile errors in his first season drew heavy criticism.

Bravo’s shortcomings saw City sign Ederson from Benfica in the summer of 2017. 

Ederson’s arrival relegated Bravo to a backup role, but Bravo remained an important figure in City’s domestic cup competitions. 

Bravo spent two years at Barcelona before signing for Premier League giants Manchester City

Bravo’s role at City was further diminished after he suffered a serious Achilles injury in August 2018, which kept him out for the entire 2018-19 season. 

By the time he returned to the Manchester City first XI, Ederson had firmly established himself Guardiola’s No.1 between the sticks. 

Nevertheless, Bravo won two Premier League titles, three EFL Cups, and an FA Cup during his time before leaving in 2020 to join Real Betis.