This international truce is turning into a nightmare. After the injuries of Vinicius Jr, Warren Zaire-Emery, Eduardo Camavinga and Erling Haaland, to name a few, the young prodigy, Gavi, also finds himself at the heart of a nightmarish situation. An essential link in FC Barcelona and a true pillar of the Spanish selection, the 19-year-old player had to leave his partners after 20 minutes of play during La Roja’s victory (3-1) against Georgia. If this success definitively ensures Luis de la Fuente’s men first place in group A in these qualifications for Euro 2024, the awakening is more than painful across the Pyrenees. According to the latest information from the Spanish press, Gavi is suffering from a rupture of the anterior cruciate ligament in his right knee after a collision with Luka Lochoshvili.
Leaving in tears and replaced by Oihan Sancet, the 1m73 right-hander could therefore miss several months of competition, while the Spanish Football Federation (RFEF) briefly indicated via a first report that it was a “major injury”. More uncertain than ever for Euro 2024, the Spanish international with 27 caps (5 goals) is, unknowingly, plunging La Roja into chaos. “It’s a very difficult moment, very hard for the player, for FC Barcelona, for the national team, for me. Tonight (Sunday, editor’s note) it’s as if we had lost, we are devastated. It’s part of football, but it’s the ugliest part. I feel sorry for him. He made a bad support and his knee locked up.regretted, in this regard, Luis de la Fuente at a press conference.
A terrible blow for Barça!
Asked about the state of health of the young Catalan, the Spanish coach did not hide his dismay either. “He was broken, upset, he didn’t understand that such things could happen to him. He was extremely sad. At halftime the locker room looked like a funeral wake. (…) It’s the hardest, most bitter day since I’ve been coach.”, added the 62-year-old tactician. In shock, the latter provokes, however, immense anger on the side of Barcelona… Thus, according to several journalists from the RAC1 or even Sport, the Blaugranas have designated Luis de la Fuente as the main culprit of this immense disappointment. The Spanish media specify, in this sense, that the Culers do not understand why Gavi replayed the second match after the first against Cyprus on Thursday, when Spain is already qualified for the Euro. As for the current third in La Liga, we believe in particular that De la Fuente had plenty of alternatives to avoid putting the native of Los Palacios y Villafranca in a chain.
As a reminder, since his first selection, Gavi has played every match, i.e. 27 matches. “Gavi is hyperactive, he always wants to play. Good players never rest. That’s why they’re so special. It’s November, the players are still fresh at this time”, explained De la Fuente to justify the infernal pace of his attacking midfielder. A speech that is difficult to hear on this Monday morning and which also risks straining relations between the Spanish selection and Barça. The financial compensation from FIFA – which could reach between four and five million euros – should not change anything in the frustration currently felt among the Culers, who fear having to do without their nugget until the end of the season. In the meantime, Gavi, accompanied by Albert Luque, the director of the national team, returned to Barcelona to take more in-depth examinations and thus know the final verdict…
