Lothar Matthäus has seen enough. In his eyes, Germany’s next goalkeeping era is already taking shape – and it might look very different from the one that has been dominated for so long by Manuel Neuer.
The record international used his Sky column to lay out a new hierarchy between the posts. At the top of the list: Marc-André ter Stegen, now at Ajax, a man who has spent a decade living in Neuer’s shadow and watching major tournaments from the bench.
Matthäus “assumes that he will definitely be involved” under new national coach Jürgen Klopp and goes a step further: if ter Stegen keeps performing in Amsterdam, he is a genuine candidate to be Germany’s number one. No more eternal understudy, no more consolation minutes in group games already decided. A real shot at the shirt.
Urbig as the long-term project
Short term, ter Stegen. Long term, Jonas Urbig.
For Matthäus, the Bayern Munich keeper is the future of the position. Urbig is currently Neuer’s understudy in what is widely expected to be the veteran’s final season at the top. That makes this year a transition phase – and, in Matthäus’ view, a critical one.
The DFB, he argues, must “build up” Urbig so that Germany have a clear, undisputed number one at future tournaments. Age is a key factor: Urbig is young enough to span several cycles, to be the constant through European Championships and World Cups to come.
He is not alone in the conversation. Schalke 04’s Loris Karius and Eintracht Frankfurt’s Noah Atubolu also appear on Matthäus’ list of candidates. Around them, a broader pool of seven or eight goalkeepers is being discussed, including Alexander Nübel (Besiktas), Finn Dahmen (Augsburg), Mio Backhaus (Freiburg) and Oliver Baumann (Hoffenheim).
The message is clear: for the first time in years, the race for Germany’s goal is genuinely open.
Karius back in the frame
One name stands out emotionally as much as technically: Loris Karius.
Matthäus believes the Schalke keeper has “a good chance” of a call-up – if Klopp bases his decisions strictly on performance. Karius, he points out, was “outstanding” last season and played a major part in Schalke’s promotion. He then backed that up in the Bundesliga, notably in the 0-0 draw against Bayern Munich, where he again showed his class.
The contrast with his past could hardly be sharper. Karius was once Jürgen Klopp’s regular goalkeeper at Liverpool, right up until the 2018 Champions League final. The errors in Kyiv against Real Madrid, which cost Liverpool the trophy, became the defining images of his career. Loans to Besiktas and Union Berlin followed. The relationship with Klopp cooled, according to a report by kicker, and Karius never played for him again.
In 2022, the now 33-year-old left Liverpool on a free. Three years later, in January 2025, he signed for Schalke. It has turned into a stroke of luck for everyone involved. Regular football, a promotion, a redemption arc that has dragged his name back into the national-team debate.
“The past he experienced with Klopp in Liverpool should stay in the drawer,” Matthäus insists. If that drawer stays shut, the reunion between coach and keeper in a Germany shirt suddenly feels less far-fetched.
Ter Stegen’s unfinished Germany story
The ter Stegen chapter, by contrast, has been one of near-misses and bad timing.
At 34, he has never started a major tournament as Germany’s first-choice goalkeeper. For years he lived behind Neuer, waiting for the moment when injuries or form would finally open the door. That moment never truly arrived.
He had even been lined up as Germany’s number one for the 2026 World Cup after Neuer initially stepped away from the national team. Then Neuer came out of DFB retirement. Ter Stegen’s path closed again.
His body did not help. Injuries repeatedly interrupted his rhythm at Barcelona, pushed him down the pecking order and left him watching from the sidelines. A long-running back issue turned into a saga. He underwent surgery, then moved on loan to Girona last winter. A thigh injury struck there as well.
In the summer, he accepted a loan to Ajax until the end of the season. It was a fresh start, but not a flawless one. Eleven goals conceded in seven matches so far, plus a notable mistake in the Conference League play-offs, show that he is still searching for his best form.
His Barcelona contract runs until 2028, yet his future there is effectively over. The club has moved on. The national team might not have, at least not entirely.
For ter Stegen, another Germany call-up would likely only make sense if it comes with a genuine chance to start. After so many years as number two, he will not want to travel as a tourist. Klopp’s stance on that will say much about how ruthless he intends to be in reshaping the squad.
Klopp’s first squad and a crowded goal
The stage for these decisions is already set. Klopp’s debut as Germany coach comes with an away trip to the Netherlands in the Nations League. Reports suggest he is considering an XXL squad for the start of his era, a wide-open casting for roles across the pitch – and especially in goal.
Four matches will frame those first impressions: the opener in the Netherlands, two games against Greece, and a home fixture against Serbia. It is a compact window, but enough time to test, to rotate, to challenge reputations.
Neuer’s last dance, ter Stegen’s last chance, Urbig’s first real audition, Karius’ possible redemption – the storylines are stacked behind the gloves.
For a country that once took its goalkeeping hierarchy for granted, Germany is about to discover how it feels to choose again.
