Young star will probably be out for the European Championships
Spain’s worst worries about Gavi are coming true
November 20, 2023, 2:17 p.m
Spain’s national team has to pay dearly for a victory in the European Championship qualification: midfield star Gavi is seriously injured, the 19-year-old from FC Barcelona is threatened with a long break – and the end of the European Championship next summer.
The fears have been confirmed: Spain’s youngster Gavi has completely torn his anterior cruciate ligament and will be out for months. The 19-year-old is also in danger of missing the European Championships in Germany (June 14th to July 14th). His club FC Barcelona announced the diagnosis, and the midfielder’s outer meniscus was also affected.
Gavi will undergo surgery in the coming days, after which a “new medical report” will be published. The club has not yet provided any information about downtime.
The exceptional player had to leave the field in tears in the 26th minute of the European Championship qualifier against Georgia on Sunday (3-1) after a duel with Georgia’s Luka Lochoschwili. The long absence is a heavy blow for the European Championship title candidate. The technician, who won FIFA’s “Golden Boy” award in 2022 as the best young professional in the world, is one of the key players in the Spanish team that secured group victory ahead of Scotland.
Mood “like at a funeral”
“We are worried. This is the bitterest victory I have ever experienced,” Spain national coach Luis de la Fuente said immediately after the win against Georgia, when the diagnosis was not yet clear. Nevertheless, the Spaniards already suspected that it must be a serious injury: in the dressing room there was an atmosphere “like at a funeral,” de la Fuente reported.
After the interim 2-1 scorer Ferran Torres asked the bench to give him Gavi’s number 9 jersey and then showed it to the cameras. “I send him a lot of courage and strength so that he recovers as quickly as possible. We don’t know the extent of the injury, but knowing how much of a fighter Gavi is, we think it could be something serious,” had Ferran Torres said.
Since Gavi made his FC Barcelona first-team debut against Getafe in August 2021 at the age of 17, the midfielder has made 111 appearances, including 89 as a starter, scoring seven goals and providing 12 assists. He has already played 27 times for the national team.