Lionel Messi was having a great game against Sevilla.
In just 26 minutes he’d managed to score a goal and provide an assist, sending Barcelona on their way to a 4-2 victory.
But then an awkward fall, shown clearly in hard-to-watch footage of the incident, left Messi leaving the pitch with a serious injury to his right arm.
It was clear the Argentine superstar was in a great deal of pain and thoughts immediately turned to him missing El Clasico next weekend.
The Catalan media quickly confirmed a break and that Messi would be out for the match against Real Madrid, and several others besides.
On Monday, the Spanish sport media is full of various takes on the injury, with doctors giving their opinion, and graphics showing the exact bone Messi has broken (this image comes from AS).
In their ‘Top Secret’ section, Mundo Deportivo report the Barcelona player will have a splint attached to his arm on Monday.
He’s expected to be out for three weeks, and Mundo Deportivo makes it very clear there will be no effort to rush the player back sooner than the initial prognosis.
As it stands, the chances of an operation are thought to be small and the recovery time will simply be the same as if Messi were a normal member of the public.
The Catalan newspaper can’t stress enough that there’s going to be absolutely no attempts to speed things up.
As it always is when the footballer picks up an injury, it will be his choice when to return, unless he feels ready to play before Barcelona give the medical all-clear.
