From backup to breakthrough: Inaki Pena’s moment to shine at Barcelona | OneFootball

Marc-Andre ter Stegen could be ruled out for the entire season after picking up a nasty injury in yesterday’s clash against Villarreal.

Barcelona confirmed today that the German goalkeeper will undergo surgery and could, therefore, be set for a long spell on the sidelines.

Ter Stegen’s prolonged absence means it is time for Inaki Pena to step up and become Barcelona’s main man in between the sticks.

Numbers behind Inaki Pena

Since making his Barcelona debut in 2022, Pena has appeared in 23 competitive matches for the club, with his most recent one coming yesterday against Villarreal, when he replaced the injured ter Stegen.

During this period, the Spaniard has conceded 39 goals while keeping just five clean sheets.

Last season was by far Pena’s best campaign at Barcelona, as he stepped in well in the absence of ter Stegen, who was out with an injury.

Despite conceding 17 goals in 10 matches, he made some important saves and considering limited support from the Barcelona backline, his performances were rather impressive.

To put things into perspective, Pena’s save percentage ratio stood at 50% during the 2022/23, which improved to 56% last season. He made a total of 22 saves in ten matches.

Pena looked at ease last night after replacing ter Stegen at the stroke of half-time. He was competent in goal, making one save and managing a clean sheet.

Can Pena have his ‘Andriy Lunin’ moment?

Is Pena ready for the challenge? (Photo by David Ramos/Getty Images)

Inaki Pena’s situation at Barcelona right now is strikingly similar to Andriy Lunin last season, when Thibaut Courtois got injured in the summer.

In fact, Pena has a free ticket to establish himself as the main man between the sticks for Barcelona, due to a lack of a reliable third option.

This raises the question: Can Pena replicate the kind of breakthrough Andriy Lunin had in the 2024/25 season for Real Madrid?

Lunin, like Pena, had long played second fiddle to an elite goalkeeper in Thibaut Courtois. But when Courtois suffered a season-ending injury, Lunin rose to the challenge.

He not only filled the gap left by Courtois but also went on to become one of La Liga’s standout goalkeepers. Lunin’s shot-stopping ability and composure under pressure played a crucial role in Real Madrid’s successful campaign that year.

Pena now has the chance to follow a similar path. The challenge for the Spaniard will be to maintain consistency across an entire season.

His performances in brief stints have shown potential, but the demands of being Barcelona’s number one across La Liga and the Champions League are different from stepping in for a few games.

A golden opportunity

What makes Pena’s opportunity far greater than Lunin’s is that the Spaniard has some form of opportunity to potentially make a case for becoming Barcelona’s number one.

That is because of the growing negative sentiments over ter Stegen’s performances as well as question marks over his fitness.

One may, therefore, wonder that Barcelona might want to think about replacing ter Stegen in the long run, with Pena currently having the best opportunity to prove himself worthy.