Germany's Goalkeeping Future: Matthäus Maps Out Candidates

Lothar Matthäus has never been shy about big calls. This time, the record international has turned his gaze to the most scrutinised position in German football: the one Manuel Neuer is about to leave behind for good.

In his column for Sky, Matthäus laid out a clear hierarchy for the post‑Neuer era – and it starts, in the here and now, with Marc-André ter Stegen.

The 34-year-old, now on loan at Ajax, is one of four names Matthäus highlighted as leading candidates to succeed Neuer. For him, ter Stegen is not just another option.

Matthäus is convinced “that he will definitely be involved” under Jürgen Klopp and went further: “If he continues to produce his performances in Amsterdam, he is a candidate for the number one spot in the Germany goal.”

That’s a heavy statement, given how often ter Stegen has stood in Neuer’s shadow.

Ter Stegen: the nearly man of Germany’s big tournaments

If ter Stegen gets another shot, it will have to be as an undisputed starter. That is the clear implication.

He has spent years as Germany’s eternal number two, repeatedly blocked by Neuer and then repeatedly hit by his own injuries. Despite his quality and longevity, he has never started a major tournament as first-choice for the national team.

He was even earmarked as first-choice for the 2026 World Cup, only for Neuer to reverse his DFB retirement and reclaim the shirt. Then ter Stegen’s body betrayed him again. Injuries cost him his rhythm at Barcelona and his place in the pecking order.

Back surgery, a drawn-out recovery, a loan to Girona, a thigh problem – every time he seemed close to a clear run, something broke the momentum. By the time he agreed a season-long loan to Ajax in the summer, he was a Barcelona player in contract only. His deal at the Camp Nou runs until 2028, but his future there is effectively over.

The numbers in Amsterdam are mixed. Seven matches, 11 goals conceded, and a costly error in the Conference League play-offs. Yet Matthäus clearly believes the platform is there for ter Stegen to force his way into Klopp’s first squads – if he can finally string together a clean, injury-free run.

Urbig the long-term bet

Matthäus, though, is not just thinking about the next tournament. He is thinking about the next decade.

Looking further ahead, he sees Bayern Munich’s Jonas Urbig as the man to grow into the role of permanent number one. Urbig is currently Neuer’s understudy in what is widely expected to be the veteran’s final season.

For Matthäus, the DFB has a responsibility here. Urbig, he argued, must be “built up” to ensure Germany has a clear, uncontested first-choice goalkeeper at future tournaments. Age is on his side; in Matthäus’ view, he is the one who can cover the most tournaments across his career.

The message is blunt: stop improvising from one cycle to the next, and start grooming a long-term leader in goal.

Alongside ter Stegen and Urbig, Matthäus also highlighted Schalke 04’s Loris Karius and Eintracht Frankfurt’s Noah Atubolu. They sit in a wider pool he estimates at seven or eight goalkeepers who can realistically hope for a call-up in the early Klopp era.

Names such as Alexander Nübel (Besiktas), Finn Dahmen (Augsburg), Mio Backhaus (Freiburg) and Oliver Baumann (Hoffenheim) have all been linked with the national team picture in recent weeks. But according to Bild, Baumann will not be nominated by Klopp.

The competition is crowded. The door, though, is clearly not closed to anyone performing at a consistently high level.

Karius and Klopp: from Kyiv trauma to DFB lifeline?

Among all those candidates, one story stands out. Matthäus sees a real opportunity for Loris Karius.

“Karius, above all, has a good chance” of being called up if selection is driven by current form, he argued. Last season, Karius was outstanding for Schalke, playing a central role in their promotion campaign. The performances have carried over into the Bundesliga: even in the 0-0 draw against Bayern Munich, he underlined his class.

The past, Matthäus insisted, should stay “in the drawer”.

That past is impossible to ignore. Karius was Jürgen Klopp’s regular goalkeeper at Liverpool until 2018, when his errors in the Champions League final against Real Madrid scarred his career. The mistakes cost Liverpool the trophy and reshaped his trajectory.

Loans to Besiktas and Union Berlin followed. By 2022, he left Liverpool on a free transfer at the age of 29, a goalkeeper still in his prime but weighed down by one night in Kyiv.

Reports from kicker suggest his relationship with Klopp cooled during his time in Istanbul, which helps explain why he never played for the German coach again. The split felt permanent.

Then came January 2025 and a move to Schalke. It has proved a stroke of luck for everyone involved. Karius has rebuilt not just his form, but his reputation. Now, as Klopp takes over the national team, the prospect of a professional reunion looms – this time in black and white, not red.

If Klopp truly selects on form, as Matthäus suggests, Karius has a legitimate route back to the international stage.

Klopp’s first squad: XXL and full of intrigue

All of this feeds into one of the most anticipated first squad announcements in recent German football history.

Klopp is expected to open his reign with an away trip to the Netherlands in the Nations League, and reports indicate he is considering an XXL squad for the start of his tenure. It makes sense. He needs to see everyone up close. He needs to test dynamics, personalities, and how these goalkeepers handle the weight of the shirt.

The opening four-match block will also include two games against Greece and a home fixture against Serbia. It is a compact but revealing window. Enough time to experiment, not enough to hide.

Ter Stegen fighting for one last shot as a true number one. Urbig being eased towards the future. Karius chasing redemption. Atubolu, Nübel, Dahmen, Backhaus and others trying to force their way into the conversation.

For years, the debate around Germany’s goal has started and ended with one name: Neuer. Under Klopp, that era is over. The question now is not whether anyone can replace him.

It is who dares to claim the throne first – and who can hold it when the real pressure starts.