Barcelona’s rising star Gavi out for season due to ACL injury

Barcelona’s 19-year-old Spanish midfielder Gavi is unlikely to play again in the 2023-24 season after suffering a complete tear in the anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) in the 2024 UEFA European Championship (Euro 2024) qualifier game against Georgia on Sunday.

Barca confirmed Gavi’s injury on Monday and revealed that he also suffered an associated injury to the lateral meniscus. He will undergo surgery in the coming days. Usually it takes over eight months to recover from similar injuries. That means he will not only miss the rest of the 2023-24 campaign, buy also maybe Euro 2024.

According to ESPN, Barca were angry at Gavi’s injury because Spain had already locked a birth for the next round of the qualifying tournament before playing against Georgia, which were not even the strongest opponents in Group A. In other words, Spain didn’t have to make Gavin play in the competition.

Luis de la Fuente, manager of Spain, described Gavi’s injury as “unfortunate,” but disagreed that the national team overplayed Gavi.

“He was in perfect condition. He hadn’t played before the international break because he was suspended, he was fresh and in great shape. There was no problem,” De la Fuente said after the game. “We are all broken, it is as if we lost the game in the dressing room. There is no explanation other than these things happen in life. This is the toughest day in this sport for me, the most bitter.”

Gavi has only missed two games for Barca this season, both because of suspension. The club needs him in the midfield, especially when both Pedri and Frenkie de Jong have been dealing with long-term injuries.

Barca are currently in the third place in La Liga, four points behind the leader Girona and two behind Real Madrid. They lead Group H in the UEFA Champions League, but match Porto at nine points. They will play against Atletico Madrid and Girona in La Liga and Porto in the Champions League before 2023 ends.