Barcelona Star Opens Up on Injury Frustration
He sits on the treatment table instead of the pitch, and it eats away at him.
Barcelona’s sidelined star has opened up on the frustration and raw anger behind his latest injury setback, admitting he is “really pissed off” to be away from the game he loves after a knee problem worsened in the aftermath of the World Cup.
“I’m doing work with the physical therapists. We’ve made a plan which everyone knows about and everyone agrees with,” he told the club’s media, outlining a recovery process that has now become his daily routine rather than a side task between matches.
The routine is relentless. It has to be.
“I just want to focus on my recovery. I’m doing everything I can to be in good physical condition: I’m taking care of my diet, my rest and everything else that is in my hands. Right now, I’m doing everything necessary to come back in good shape and as soon as possible.”
The words are calm. The feeling behind them is anything but.
“Well, I’m really pissed off about it. It really frustrates me because what I love most is playing football, especially for Barcelona and for the national team. So when I’m injured, it really bothers me,” he added, laying bare the mental toll of watching from the stands while his teammates fight on without him.
This was not a slow-burning issue. It came from one moment, one awkward fall.
“And on top of that, I think I’ve been very unlucky with this injury because it was an accident, someone fell on top of me and I had a small issue with my knee. I had some discomfort during the World Cup. I also want to explain this so that people know what happened.”
He kept going in Qatar. He felt it, but he played through it. The World Cup does that to players.
“We did tests and everything, and they showed that there was a small problem. Everyone knew about it. They said I could continue playing, that I’d be uncomfortable and would have some pain, but that I could keep playing. I also asked about it, and they assured me that it couldn’t get worse. So I kept playing because I love playing football. The World Cup is a dream. I would always do everything I could to play. I’ve done that many times at Barca as well, and that’s what I did.”
That decision now hangs over him. Not as regret, but as a harsh twist of fate.
“I came back and had tests because I wanted to know. We did a scan and it showed that the injury was now more serious than when we did the tests in the US. That was really hard because I wasn’t expecting it, and nobody was expecting it.”
For now, the stadium lights belong to others. His world is gym sessions, medical checks and the slow, stubborn climb back to full fitness.
