The coach spoke after Spain’s win over Georgia, a match in which a Barcelona star suffered a serious injury. “This is the most trying moment of my football life,” he admitted.
Spain claimed victory against Georgia, yet the mood in La Roja’s locker room betrayed a sense of loss after the 3-1 result in Valladolid. The coach, near tears in the press room, explained that the group was left “devastated” by Gavi’s severe injury in the first half of the match.
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“It is an incredibly hard moment for Gavi and for Barcelona, but it is also hard for the national team and for me. We are wiped out, but football hands these painful chapters. They are ugly parts that are outside anyone’s control. It looked like we had lost,” the coach said. He added that Gavi is “devastated,” and the dressing room felt like a funeral, with a heavy silence hanging over the squad.
“The blow was nothing—an unfortunate moment of misjudgment. It came from a misstep, and the knee gave way. This can happen in football: an accident, a bad luck. It would have been just as hard with a different player, we would share the same sorrow,” he continued.
Regarding Gavi’s mindset, the coach recalled, “he was broken and shattered. He could not understand how this could happen to him. We learned that we are not invincible, and at halftime the locker room felt like a vigil. Life has its moments of strain. This is the most difficult and bitter moment I have ever faced in football.”
What injury does Gavi have?
Determining the exact injury remains premature, but the signs are deeply worrying. Gavi appeared to be in pain, gazing upward, then heading to the dressing room in tears while fans in the Zorrilla crowd offered support, recognizing the seriousness of the injury.
Spain’s number nine headed to the treatment area where medical tests were expected in the hours ahead to gauge the full extent. The federation had already cautioned about a significant right knee injury, and such phrasing only heightened concerns for La Roja and for Barcelona. In football, the phrase “serious injury” carries weight, and in this case it did not fail to alarm the supporters and officials alike.
There were even claims that Gavi could miss the remainder of the season, including the European Championship and the Olympic Games next year, though those reports remained speculative until formal assessments were complete.
Goal provided the unfolding details of the incident and the subsequent medical response, highlighting the immediate concern for the player and the reactions from teammates and staff.