Since 2014, Barcelona have always had at least one German player in the squad every season. That streak is set to continue this season despite a potential Marc-André ter Stegen exit after winger Karim Adeyemi joined from Borussia Dortmund in a deal worth just €22 million. However, Ter Stegen is far from the only German player to represent the Blaugrana over the years.
Barcelona's first German player was actually one of their founding members. Otto Maier was one of the twelve people, including Joan Gamper, who met in 1899 to form FC Barcelona. Maier spent three years with the club as a player and featured as the manager until 1904, and was a key figure in Barcelona's early years.
Two years after Maier debuted, Barcelona added another German. Udo Steinberg, an engineer, joined in 1901, and the forward proved to be a great goalscorer. In his nine years with the club, Steinberg scored 56 goals in 71 games, including the first goal in El Clásico history as he scored a brace in a 3-1 win over Real Madrid in 1902.
Julius Müller followed in 1908, spending two years in Catalunya, as did Walter Rositzky, who signed in 1911. In 1924, defender Emil Walter joined, starting a successful seven-year spell with the club, including helping Barcelona win their first La Liga title in 1929. However, Walter left in 1931, and Barcelona went nearly five decades before signing another German player.
In 1980, Barcelona signed Bernd Schuster, a midfielder from 1. FC Köln. Schuster spent eight seasons with the club, playing 300 games and winning eight trophies and being recognized as one of the best players in the world. Schuster finished in the top three of the Ballon d'Or rankings three times before he eventually moved to Real Madrid in 1988.
Robert Enke became the club's first German player of the 21st century, joining in 2002 from Benfica. The goalkeeper spent two years in Catalunya, largely as a backup or on loan, and returned to Germany with Hannover where he established himself as a top keeper once again before tragically passing away in 2009.
In 2014, Barcelona signed Marc-André ter Stegen from Borussia Mönchengladbach. In his first season, ter Stegen featured exclusively in the Champions League, with Claudio Bravo starting in goal in La Liga. Barcelona lost just two of the thirteen games that ter Stegen started, lifting the Champions League after a 3-1 win over Juventus to complete a remarkable season.
For at least half a decade, ter Stegen was widely recognized as one of the best goalkeepers in the world, and with good reason. From his debut season to 2019, Barcelona won three further La Liga titles and three Copa del Reys, also reaching the Champions League semi-finals in 2019.
The German has split opinions in recent years, especially with the club's tricky financial position and his high wages. Still, as recently as the 2022/23 season, he looked elite, winning the La Liga MVP. Now 34, injuries and poor form prevented him from starting, with Barcelona signing Joan García. García has thrived, and with Wojciech Szczęsny as backup, ter Stegen was loaned to Girona for the second half of last season. He now looks set for the exit once again, with Ajax strongly linked.
In 2019, Barcelona signed a German-born player who represents Ghana in the form of Kevin-Prince Boateng. Boateng was best known for his performances with Ghana and Milan in the early 2010s, but earned a short-term loan to Catalunya at 32 thanks to a strong start to the season in Italy with Sassuolo. He made only four appearances before returning to Italy at the end of his loan spell.
Four years later, veteran midfielder Ilkay Gündogan joined on a free transfer. Gündogan was fresh off a historic treble-winning season with Manchester City when he signed for Xavi's side. Gündogan was expected to bring experience and ability to the midfield on a low-risk deal, and ended up being a key player, making 51 appearances. Still, Barcelona failed to win any trophies.
With Barcelona still struggling financially, Gündogan elected to leave after just one season, returning to Manchester City. He has since moved to Türkiye, signing with Galatasaray.
Then, after ten players and over a century's worth of history, there's Karim Adeyemi. The pacy forward certainly has work to do if he wants to be up there with some of the greats of Barcelona's German stars, but there's no reason that he can't develop into a top player under Hansi Flick. This season, he gets the chance to add his name to the history books.
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