Gavi, Vinicius Jr… top players injured during international break
Although the November international break is now over, many clubs and national teams have experienced chaos due to player injuries, with some even sidelined for the duration of the season.
During the most recent international break, up to eighteen players sustained injuries while competing or training for their respective national teams.
Barcelona is among the teams most impacted by international break injuries. Gavi sustained an anterior cruciate ligament tear and will be out for weeks. International Association Football Federation (FIFA) may be required to compensate Barcelona with up to €3 million because Gavi suffered the injury while playing for his country and will probably miss the remainder of the season as well as Euro 2024. The Blaugrana goalkeeper Ter Stegen also had to leave the Germany training camp due to back problems.
Mikel Oyarzabal also sustained a left thigh injury in an unfortunate incident against Cyprus. The Real Sociedad striker will be unavailable for just a few weeks as the injury does not too serious.
Real Madrid midfielder Camavinga was equally unlucky as he got injured in a training session after his national teammate Dembele fell on him. The Frenchman sustained a ruptured external lateral ligament in his right knee. The injury will keep him out of action for about eight to ten weeks. As a result, he will not be back on the pitch until early next year. But, Real Madrid’s problems did not stop there as another of Carlo Ancelotti’s key man also picked up “The FIFA Virus”
Vinicius Jr withdrew from the match against Colombia, he was diagnosed with a femoral biceps rupture in his left leg that also affected the distal tendon. As both injuries occurred on international duty, FIFA will also pay compensation to Real Madrid.
The Brazilian forward could be facing around ten weeks on the sidelines and will join Camavinga and fellow injured star Aurelien Tchouameni on the sideline until 2024.
Meanwhile in England, Manchester City’s Erling Haaland also sustained a minor injury in his country’s match against the Faroe Islands and was ruled out against Scotland. However, the Norwegian striker is already in a race against the clock to be fit in time for a premier league game against Liverpool this weekend. Norway’s head coach Stale Solbakken suggested the injury was not as bad as first feared by claiming he could have played Scotland ‘if it was a final’.
City’s neighbours, Manchester United may not have been so lucky with Andre Onana as the goalkeeper couldn’t finish Cameroon’s World Cup qualifier last Friday and did not feature against Libya on Tuesday.
Inter Milan also saw defender Alessandro Bastoni pick up an injury while on international duty with Italy.
For Warren Zaire-Emery, it was a mixed-feeling international break. The 17-year-old midfielder for Paris Saint-Germain made history by becoming the youngest player to start for France and score goals since World War I. However, PSG has confirmed that the midfielder will be out until 2024 because of an ankle injury he suffered during France’s 14:0 victory over Gibraltar in a Euro 2024 qualifier.
These few names mentioned above are not the only ones on the “FIFA Virus” Blacklist. Other players who experienced physical issues with their national teams during the last international break included Lucas Ocampos (Sevilla), Mandi (Villarreal) Bastoni (Inter Milan), Weston McKennie (Juventus) , Fabio Miretti (Juventus), Vicario (Tottenham Hotspur) , Ochoa(Salernitana), Jarrod Bowen (West Ham), Michael Antonio (West Ham), and Marcus Rashford (Manchester United).
In cases where a player sustains an injury during an international match, FIFA compensates the club of the player. To be exact, the clubs receive 20,580 euros a day. So, the expenses associated with a six-month injury could total approximately four million euros.
FIFA approved the insurance program for clubs when Karl-Heinz Rummenigge complained after Arjen Robben sustained an injury with the Netherlands at the 2010 World Cup in South Africa.
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Chimezie Amos
