After the injury of Ter Stegen, who in the last few hours has decided to undergo surgery to solve the back problems that have not allowed him to participate in Barcelona's last three games, the Blaugrana club is not considering signing another goalkeeper in January . The low back pain suffered by the German goalkeeper is due to a herniated disc and, after several days in which he opted for conservative treatment without the discomfort subsiding, Ter Stegen will undergo surgery this week in Strasbourg (France) and will undergo surgery. by the team of doctor Afshib Gangi.
Although the German goalkeeper will be out for about three months, confidence in Iñaki Peña is total after his great performances against Rayo Vallecano, Porto and especially the one he completed against Atlético de Madrid. To fill the second goalkeeper's place, Xavi plans to draw from the youth team.
The Barça coach does not have a third goalkeeper from the first team, but usually cites one of the reserve team or even the youth team. Normally, the coach's calls include three goalkeepers to be prepared for any setback that may arise. To date, the list of goalkeepers called up was made up of Ter Stegen, Iñaki Peña and Ander Astralaga. After the loss of Ter Stegen, Xavi has introduced the name of Diego Kochen in the matches against Porto and Atlético de Madrid. Against Rayo Vallecano, he opted for another youth player: Áron Yaakobishvili known as 'Yako'.
After the departure of Arnau Tenas to PSG, the 19-year-old goalkeeper known in football as 'Astra', has become the third goalkeeper of the first team. He arrived at La Masia in 2019 to join the Barça team from Athletic Club.
He stands out for his height (he measures 1.90 meters), so he is very strong in the aerial game and also stands out for his dominance with his feet. Last year he was called up for the first time with the first team for Girona - Barça on January 28, 2023. On April 6, 2023 he reached an agreement with the Barça club to renew his contract until June 30, 2025 and Last July he was called up to travel to the Barça tour of the United States. This season he has only played five games with Barça Atlètic, where Márquez trusts Marc Vidal (23), signed from Andorra. Vidal has never been in the first team dynamic.
The American Diego Kochen and the Hungarian Aron Yaakobishvili, better known as 'Yako', have also been on the bench led by Xavi Hernández. Both goalkeepers are 17-year-old youth.
Kochen (Miami, 2006) defends the Juvenil A goal. The goalkeeper has already entered Xavi's squad against Porto and Atlético de Madrid. He arrived at the Blaugrana Infantil A in 2019 after a year at Barcelona's Tecnofútbol. His father was born in Caracas (Venezuela) and his mother in Lima (Peru), while he and his brother were born in Miami. They moved to Spain for his mother's job. At that time Kochen had already begun his first steps in the world of football at the Weston FC Academy in his country.
Kochen, who was unaware of his signing for Barcelona until the agreement with Tecnofútbol was complete, caught the attention of Sergi Barjuan who, two seasons ago when he was on the reserve bench, called him to participate in several training sessions. "When they told me I was going to Barça I couldn't believe it because Barça in the United States is a very big club. Since I was little I have always been a Barça fan. Goalkeepers like Ter Stegen, Víctor Valdes, even Claudio Bravo, were my idols," He confessed upon his arrival at the now defunct Barça TV.
The American goalkeeper, who is training regularly with the first team, is liked by his physique, with his 188 centimeters of height making him an imposing goalkeeper who dominates both the aerial game and control with his feet. He has a contract until June 30, 2025.
For his part, Áron Yaakobishvili, better known as 'Yako', is a quiet goalkeeper with an introverted character but who performs very well on the pitch. He signed for Barça's Infantil B in 2018, from Atlètic Sant Just, where he spent a year. Previously, he trained in his native Hungary, in teams such as MTK Budapest.
Yako is 1.85 meters tall, has been in a squad with Rafa Márquez and has been the starting goalkeeper for FC Barcelona's Juvenil A team in the five games played in this edition of the UEFA Youth League. He sat on the Vallecas bench, coinciding with the first game without Ter Stegen. A little over a year ago he signed his renewal until June 30, 2025 and he has a brother, -Antal Yaakobishvili-, who plays for Girona B as a center back who measures 1.93 m.
