Footballers, despite their larger-than-life presence on the pitch, often prefer to keep parts of their personal lives away from the public eye.
While fans may know everything about a player’s playing style, strengths, and weaknesses, certain aspects, such as religious beliefs, remain a mystery unless the player explicitly addresses them.
A video posted 3 days ago on X attempted to categorize the religious beliefs of various Barcelona players, with one notable claim catching our attention. According to the video, Barcelona captain and goalkeeper Marc-Andre ter Stegen is Jewish. But is there any truth to this?
Ter Stegen was born in Monchengladbach, Germany, to parents Erich and Renate Kaus. His last name/family name, Ter-Stegen, is of Dutch origin, and his paternal lineage is linked to the Netherlands owing to his father. However, beyond this, there is little publicly available information regarding his family’s religious background.
If we go by Ter-Stegen’s country of upbringing, Germany, it has a complex religious history, with Christianity—both Protestantism and Catholicism—being the most practiced faiths. The core Jewish population of Germany is estimated to be 118,000, making up just about 0.75% percent of the population of Germany.
Similarly, the Netherlands has a diverse religious landscape, with Christianity, secularism, and a small Jewish population among the practiced beliefs.
In Ter Stegen’s case, there are no records of him speaking about his faith in interviews or social media, making it difficult to ascertain any religious affiliation.
One of the few public moments that could hint at Ter Stegen’s religious standing is a photo he posted of himself meeting Pope Francis. While such an interaction could indicate a certain level of respect for religion, it is far from a confirmation of his beliefs. Many athletes, regardless of their faith, have met with the Pope as a diplomatic or goodwill gesture rather than an affirmation of religious identity.
Further questioning the credibility of the video, it appears to contain multiple errors regarding other Barcelona players.
For instance, the video incorrectly states that Ansu Fati and Alejandro Balde follow religions that they do not. Ansu Fati is widely known to be Muslim, making the mistake particularly glaring. Fati has performed Islamic prayers and the Islamic pilgrimage of Umrah. If the video can misrepresent an easily available fact, such as Fati’s religion, its claim regarding Ter Stegen being Jewish might also be inaccurate.
With no direct statements from Ter Stegen and no verifiable sources confirming his religious beliefs, the claim remains speculative at best. Given the inaccuracies in the video, it is reasonable to conclude that the claim about Ter Stegen’s Judaism is likely incorrect.
