A lot of La Liga stars are considered to be some of the best football talent in the world, and that’s why notable players in the Spanish top flight are called to represent their respective countries for international duties.
Players who are called up for international duty are regrettably not immune to injury, and any injuries they get could have a major impact on how their La Liga teams perform. Clubs affected by these devastating blows are highlighted, especially during this part of the season when multiple teams are neck-and-neck in the league standings.
Courtesy of SBOTOP, here are a few well-known La Liga players who regrettably sustained injuries while donning their nation’s crest.
Gavi – Barcelona
Gavi is a 19-year-old prodigy who plays midfield for Barcelona and the Spain national football team. Spain have had an almost perfect qualifying campaign for Euro 2024, winning seven of their eight matches and leading Group A with 21 points.
During their final match against Georgia, the young Spaniard was forced off the pitch in the 26th minute of the opening half, as it appeared that Gavi had suffered a serious knee injury. As of now, the only confirmation that Spain have released is that the 19-year-old has suffered a “significant injury”. The whole football world will have to wait for an official diagnosis, but many fear it could be a torn ACL, which would likely keep him sidelined for the rest of the season and even until the Euros next year.
Regardless of the results of the diagnosis, it is likely that the midfielder will miss a considerable amount of time. What does this mean for Barcelona? This season, Gavi has once again been an important member of Barcelona, especially in light of the injuries sustained by Frenkie de Jong and Pedri. He logged 1,172 minutes for Barca across all competitions this year. 10 times, he has played the entire 90 minutes, and he has started 13 of Barcelona’s 17 games.
Fortunately for Xavi, he still has a plethora of talents to fill in the void Gavi left. Fermín López could return to the Barca XI; Pedri is also an option; and De Jong is expected to be available after the international break.
Vinicius Jr. – Real Madrid
Barcelona’s archrivals, Real Madrid, also suffered injuries to key players during the international break. Real Madrid have confirmed that 23-year-old Brazilian forward Vinicius Jr. suffered a hamstring injury during Brazil’s 2-1 World Cup qualifying defeat against Colombia.
“After the tests carried out today on our player Vinicius Jr. by the Real Madrid Medical Services, he has been diagnosed with a tear in the femoral biceps with involvement of the distal tendon in his left leg. Evolution pending.” Real Madrid’s statement read.
The Los Blancos will have to figure out a way to keep their dominant campaign rolling without their winger, who has already scored six goals and produced four assists in 13 appearances across all competitions for Carlo Ancelotti.
The Brazilian is likely to be out for around 10 weeks, but it would feel like a lifetime for the injury-ridden Real Madrid. With the severity of his injury, Vinicius Jr. will likely miss a handful of La Liga matches, the Super Cup, as well as the first knockout rounds of the Copa del Rey. Luckily for Ancelotti, Jude Bellingham and Dani Ceballos are set to return after the international break. But even though Real Madrid are down with serious injuries to multiple key players, they are still the La Liga 2023 odds favourites to win this season.
Camavinga – Real Madrid
In another devastating La Liga 2023 news story, aside from Vinicius Jr. Real Madrid also have to deal with the absence of Eduardo Camavinga, as he’s set for a lengthy layoff after sustaining an injury while on international duty with the World Cup 2022 finalists France.
The 21-year-old injured his knee while taking part in a training session for the French national team. Camavinga hurt his knee in an accidental collision with former Barcelona winger Ousmane Dembélé. The Lost Blancos midfielder returned to Spain’s capital for further tests, and then Real Madrid released a medical report regarding the Frenchman’s condition.
“Following tests carried out today on our player Eduardo Camavinga by the Real Madrid medical services, it has been diagnosed that he has torn the lateral collateral ligament in his right knee. Further developments are awaited.” Real Madrid’s medical report stated. The Los Blancos still don’t know how long Camavinga will be sidelined, but like Vinicius Jr. Camavinga will likely miss fixtures in La Liga, the Champions League, and the Spanish Super Cup. Real is currently second in La Liga with 32 points, only two points behind league leaders Girona and two points above their arch rivals Barcelona. Madrid’s injuries came at the most inopportune time for Carlo Ancelotti, as the Spanish top flight gets more and more competitive after every match day.
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