Barcelona are still in a celebratory mood after securing the La Liga title, but the festivities have now been overshadowed by a major injury blow.
The Blaugranas have lost highly rated attacking midfielder Fermin Lopez to a serious foot injury, which will likely rule him out of the World Cup.
Barcelona addressed the extent of Lopez’s injury in an official statement, confirming that he is set to undergo surgery to fix a fracture to the fifth metatarsal bone in his right foot.
Lopez picked up the injury during Barcelona’s 3-1 victory over Real Betis on Sunday.
The Spanish midfielder was unable to continue after the first half and was replaced by compatriot Alejandro Balde for the second 45 minutes.
Barcelona had already taken the lead through Raphinha inside the opening 20 minutes.
Lopez’s setback didn’t derail their momentum with Raphinha’s brace and Joao Cancelo’s late goal coming on either side of Isco’s penalty.
Barcelona’s official diagnosis of Lopez’s injury was confirmed after a post-match medical examination.
The La Liga champions have now confirmed that Lopez will need to undergo surgery to address the issue, which will most likely rule him out of the World Cup.
The timing of the injury makes it highly unlikely he will recover in time for the showpiece in North America, with Luis de la Fuente set to announce his final squad on May 25.
The setback is a massive blow for both the player and the Spanish national team.
Despite dealing with two separate groin injuries earlier in the campaign, the midfielder still produced some of the best football of his career.
He has bagged 13 goals and 17 assists in 48 appearances, and played a major role in Barcelona’s successful La Liga title defence.
Lopez was recently rewarded for a phenomenal campaign, signing a new long-term contract that keeps him at the Camp Nou until 2031.
He attracted interest from Chelsea, but made it clear he had no plans to leave his boyhood club anytime soon.
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