According to an official statement from Barcelona, Gavi has undergone meniscus repair surgery and is expected to be sidelined for 4 to 5 months.When Gavi arrived at the Barcelona hospital on Monday, he had been expecting to undergo surgery to alleviate once and for all the right knee discomfort that had plagued him since August.
In the end, everyone—even the doctors—was shocked to discover that his injury was far more severe than previously anticipated.
The initial plan was for Gavi to undergo an arthroscopic examination, a minimally invasive procedure using a camera to diagnose and treat joint issues. The Barcelona midfielder first injured his knee during training on August 29; back in November 2023, he had also suffered an anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) tear in the same knee.
That injury meant he missed out on 11 months of football, including Spain’s title-winning campaign at UEFA Euro 2024.
When he sustained another knee injury last month, there were immediate fears of another ACL injury. However, Barça’s doctors ruled out that possibility and recommended he follow a conservative treatment plan, as scan results suggested a potential injury to his meniscus—a C-shaped piece of cartilage in the knee.
The doctors hoped that through rest and rehabilitation, the discomfort would gradually subside. Given his experience in 2023 and his status as a 21-year-old young player, Barça wanted to avoid any surgery if possible. Gavi accepted this advice.
The conservative treatment lasted for three weeks. But after those three weeks, Gavi—who had initially hoped for immediate surgery—stated that he was still experiencing pain.
By Monday, it was clear to everyone that the recovery was progressing too slowly. Following advice from both Barça’s in-house doctors and external club specialists, the medical team decided to proceed with the arthroscopic examination for Gavi. They believed surgery would be the best course of action to eliminate any discomfort he might be facing. At the time, it was expected that he would miss four to five weeks due to the procedure.
However, during the surgery, doctors discovered that Gavi’s meniscus was not merely a contusion. In fact, his meniscus was actually torn and required suturing and repair.
Everyone at the club was shocked by the news. Sources within the dressing room—who spoke on condition of anonymity as they were not authorized to speak on the record—stated that this left first-team squad members deeply upset.
A long-term injury is a nightmare for a footballer, and it always leads to reflection on why the same issues keep happening to them.
