Germany's Goalkeeper Future: Matthäus Names Key Contenders
Lothar Matthäus sees a changing of the guard coming in Germany’s goal – and he has a clear idea of who should lead it.
In his Sky column, the record international laid out a crowded field of contenders, but one name stood out: Marc-André ter Stegen, now at Ajax. With Manuel Neuer once again stepping away from the national team, Matthäus believes the 34-year-old could yet step into the role that has eluded him for more than a decade.
Matthäus is convinced ter Stegen “will definitely be involved” under Jürgen Klopp and went a step further: if the former Barcelona keeper sustains his current level in Amsterdam, he is a serious candidate to be Germany’s number one.
Ter Stegen: the nearly man of Germany’s goal
For years, ter Stegen has lived in Neuer’s shadow. He travelled to major tournaments, warmed up, sat on the bench, and watched. Injuries repeatedly struck at the wrong time. Even when he seemed to be edging closer to the shirt, Neuer came back.
He was once earmarked as first choice for the 2026 World Cup after Neuer’s DFB retirement. Then Neuer reversed that decision. Ter Stegen’s body failed him again, his momentum snapped.
The consequences were brutal at club level. A back operation, a drawn-out recovery, then a loan to Girona, where a thigh injury stalled him once more. By the time he returned to Barcelona, his place and status had gone. His contract runs until 2028, but his future there does not.
So he moved again in the summer, this time to Ajax on loan. Seven games in, he has conceded 11 goals and made a notable error in the Conference League play-offs. The numbers do not scream dominance, yet Matthäus sees enough to keep him firmly in the conversation.
One thing seems clear: if ter Stegen is to come back into the Germany fold now, it will almost certainly have to be as a guaranteed starter. After years as Neuer’s understudy, another tournament as a back-up would hold little appeal.
Urbig the long-term bet
Matthäus, though, is not thinking only about the next international window. He is already looking beyond it.
In his eyes, Bayern Munich’s Jonas Urbig is the future of the position. Currently Neuer’s understudy in what is widely expected to be the veteran’s final season, Urbig represents, for Matthäus, the long-term solution.
The DFB, he argues, must “build up” Urbig so that Germany goes into future tournaments with a clearly established number one. Age is on his side, and with it the chance to span several major competitions.
Urbig is not alone in the queue. Schalke 04’s Loris Karius and Eintracht Frankfurt’s Noah Atubolu also make Matthäus’ list of serious contenders.
Beyond that core group, a wider pool is forming. Alexander Nübel at Besiktas, Finn Dahmen at Augsburg, Mio Backhaus at Freiburg and Oliver Baumann at Hoffenheim have all been linked with a call-up. According to Bild, though, Baumann will not feature in Klopp’s first squad.
All told, Matthäus estimates seven or eight goalkeepers are realistically in contention as Klopp begins his tenure.
Karius: the comeback story Klopp cannot ignore?
Among them, one name carries a particular edge: Loris Karius.
Matthäus believes the Schalke keeper has “a good chance” of being called up if form is the decisive factor. Karius, he points out, was outstanding last season and played a central role in Schalke’s promotion. The step up has not fazed him either; his display in the goalless draw against Bayern Munich underlined his level.
The twist, of course, lies in the history. “The past he experienced with Klopp in Liverpool should remain in the drawer,” Matthäus says.
That past is etched into Champions League folklore. Karius was Klopp’s first-choice goalkeeper at Liverpool until the 2018 final in Kyiv, where two glaring errors against Real Madrid cost his team dearly and defined his career. Loans to Besiktas and Union Berlin followed, his standing at Anfield evaporated, and he finally 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 never played for the German coach again.
Now 33, Karius has rebuilt himself in Gelsenkirchen. His move to Schalke in January 2025 has turned into a stroke of luck for both club and player. Promotion, authority, clean sheets – the narrative has shifted.
Klopp must now decide whether to reopen that drawer Matthäus mentioned, or leave it shut.
Klopp’s first squad: breadth, not caution
Germany will launch the Klopp era with an away trip to the Netherlands in the Nations League. It is a high-profile start, and the new national coach is reportedly considering an XXL squad for his opening set of fixtures.
After the Dutch test, Germany face two games against Greece and a home match against Serbia. Four games, one new era, and no settled hierarchy in goal.
Neuer’s time is winding down. Ter Stegen is fighting for one last shot. Urbig is being talked up as the man for the next decade. Karius is pushing a redemption arc that would have seemed unthinkable eight years ago.
Seven or eight keepers, one shirt. Klopp’s first big call for Germany will not be about tactics or shape. It will be about trust – and who he believes can carry the weight of that number one jersey into a new cycle.
