Germany's Goalkeeper Dilemma: Matthäus Names Top Candidates

Lothar Matthäus has never been shy about making big calls. This time, Germany’s record international has turned his attention to the most delicate position of all: the national team’s goal.

And in his view, the future is wide open.

Ter Stegen back in the frame – but only as a clear No. 1

In his Sky column, Matthäus named four keepers who, in his eyes, stand at the front of the queue for Jürgen Klopp’s first Germany squad. One name stands out immediately: Marc-André ter Stegen, now at Ajax.

Matthäus is convinced the 34-year-old will be in the conversation. “He will definitely be involved,” he wrote, and underlined that if ter Stegen keeps performing in Amsterdam, he is “a candidate for the number one spot in the Germany goal.”

For ter Stegen, that status is non‑negotiable. After years in the shadow of Manuel Neuer, he has never started a major tournament as Germany’s first-choice goalkeeper. He had been pencilled in as No. 1 for the 2026 World Cup, only for Neuer to reverse his DFB retirement and reclaim the shirt.

Now ter Stegen’s body has complicated things again. Injuries cost him his place at Barcelona, pushed him down the hierarchy, and triggered a messy, weeks-long saga that ended with a back operation and a loan to Girona last winter. A thigh problem slowed him there as well. In the summer, he moved again, this time to Ajax on loan until the end of the season.

So far, the numbers are mixed: 11 goals conceded in seven matches and a notable error in the Conference League play-offs. His Barcelona contract runs until 2028, but his future in Catalonia is effectively over. Any new chapter with Germany would almost certainly require a clear promise: he starts, or he stays away.

Urbig the long-term bet

Matthäus, though, is already looking beyond the next tournament cycle. Long term, he sees Bayern Munich’s Jonas Urbig as the man to own the shirt.

Urbig is currently Neuer’s understudy in what is widely expected to be the veteran’s final season. For Matthäus, the DFB must “build up” the Bayern keeper now to ensure Germany has an undisputed No. 1 at future tournaments. Age is a key factor: in his eyes, Urbig is the one who can cover the most major competitions across the coming decade.

It is a clear message. Neuer is nearing the end. Ter Stegen is fighting both time and fitness. Someone younger has to be prepared to take over without another drawn-out succession drama.

Karius back from the drawer

The most eye‑catching name on Matthäus’ list, though, is Loris Karius.

The Schalke 04 goalkeeper, he says, has “a good chance” of a call‑up if Klopp picks purely on performance. Karius was “outstanding” last season, a key figure in Schalke’s promotion push, and he has carried that form into life back in the top flight. Matthäus highlighted his display in the 0-0 against Bayern Munich as another reminder of his quality.

Then came the line that cuts straight to the heart of Karius’ story. “The past he experienced with Klopp in Liverpool should stay in the drawer,” Matthäus wrote.

That past still defines him in many eyes. Karius was Liverpool’s regular goalkeeper under Klopp until the 2018 Champions League final against Real Madrid, a night ruined by two major errors that effectively cost his team the trophy. He never recovered his place at Anfield. Loans to Besiktas and Union Berlin followed, before he left Liverpool on a free transfer in 2022.

During his time in Istanbul, his relationship with Klopp cooled, according to a report by kicker. He did not play for the German coach again. In January 2025, Karius signed for Schalke – a move that has turned into a stroke of luck for both club and player.

Now, under a different Klopp, his name is back in the national-team debate.

A crowded field behind Neuer

Karius and ter Stegen are not alone. Matthäus estimates that seven or eight goalkeepers are in serious contention for a call-up as Germany moves into the Klopp era.

Alongside ter Stegen, Urbig and Karius, he mentioned Eintracht Frankfurt’s Noah Atubolu. Around that core, several others have been discussed recently: Alexander Nübel at Besiktas, Finn Dahmen at Augsburg, Mio Backhaus at Freiburg and Hoffenheim’s Oliver Baumann.

It is a broad field, but not yet a hierarchy. That is exactly the kind of selection puzzle Klopp tends to relish.

Klopp’s first window: big squad, big decisions

Germany’s new head coach will not ease into the job. His debut comes with an away trip to the Netherlands in the Nations League, a fixture heavy with history and scrutiny. Reports suggest Klopp is considering an XXL squad for the start of his tenure, a wide-open casting call for places in his long-term plans.

After the opener in the Netherlands, Germany face two matches against Greece and a home game against Serbia to round off the four-match international window.

Somewhere in that stretch, a new order in goal has to emerge. Neuer’s era is fading. Ter Stegen is fighting for one last shot. Urbig waits in the wings. Karius is trying to pull his career out of that old drawer and back into the spotlight.

Klopp will have to decide whose gloves fit the future.