Victor Valdés had always intended to move on from Barcelona after this season, but carted off the field in late March is not the way he intended to leave the only club he’s ever known. Yet there he was, forced to the ground in his own penalty box after coming down awkwardly on his right knee. With his team up 1-0 in the first half against Celta, the 32-year-old’s Barça career was done.
There was no contact, no great excursion – no reason why somebody who was in line to play for Spain at this summer’s World Cup should have to leave Wednesday’s fight half. He just “landed wrong,” a description better suited for a junior high basketball court than something that will sideline one of the world’s more famous goalkeepers.
But unless Barcelona’s initial diagnosis proves completely off base, Valdés will certainly be sidelined. According to the club’s website, the keeper suffered a tear of his right anterior cruciate ligament and will need surgery. He’ll almost certainly miss the end of the season, the World Cup, and will search for his new club while recovering from an injury suffered in his last play with Barcelona.
Víctor Valdés suffered an ACL tear on 22 minutes after saving a free kick from Augusto. The Club’s Medical Services confirm that he will need surgery. The keeper fell awkwardly on his right leg, forcing him to ask to be substituted. He was subbed off two minutes later for Pinto while he was being carted off the pitch of the Camp Nou.
The normal course of action is to undergo surgery in the next few days, but with this season serving as Valdés’s farewell to the Nou Camp, more attention will be focused on the keeper’s long-term future. He’d been linked most prominently with Monaco, but coming off a major injury, that speculation may shift.
For now, we await a prognosis on how long Valdés will be out.
