Ansu Fati Injured Again

Last week, Barcelona winger Ansu Fati suffered a hamstring injury during a training session that will keep him off the field for 4 weeks, marking another setback for the 22-year-old player.

According to The Athletic, Fati’s injury problems began in November 2019 when he tore the meniscus in his left knee during a La Liga match against Real Betis. He has since faced multiple setbacks, requiring four surgeries.

Since recovering from that injury in 2021, Fati has endured 9 more injuries, spending over 300 days on the sidelines. He is now a backup forward at Barcelona after spending last season on loan at Brighton. He has started just one match this season and played 158 minutes in 7 appearances.

This is far from the trajectory fans imagined when Fati made his breakthrough into Barcelona’s first team at just 16 years old during the club’s troubled times in 2019. He quickly gained the label of “the new Lionel Messi” after rising through the club’s La Masia academy, still wearing the number 10 shirt Messi left behind when he departed in 2021.

Fati’s record-breaking performances when he first appeared for the senior team were impressive. He became Barcelona’s youngest ever scorer, the youngest player to start at Camp Nou, and the youngest to both score and assist in a La Liga match. He also became the youngest player to score in the Champions League group stage, the youngest scorer in the history of the competition, and the youngest player to score multiple goals in the Champions League, among other records.

Many of these records have since been eclipsed by his teammate Lamine Yamal, the 17-year-old who has emerged as Barcelona’s undisputed star. It’s clear that he is the foundational player the club will build around, just as they once did with Messi. While Fati and Yamal share a good relationship, it is bitterly ironic that Fati now watches Yamal live the career he may have once thought was his own.

Fati’s injury problems have been well-documented. His torn meniscus was stitched, and the wound was closed with stitches, but he had to undergo another surgery two months later.

Dr. Federico Lopet, an orthopedic surgeon specializing in knee injuries, said in January 2023: “Unlike traditional meniscus surgery, recovery with stitching is much slower. They rushed Fati.” Previous Barcelona staff responsible for Fati’s recovery did not respond to requests for comment at that time, nor did Fati’s family.

Since then, Fati has struggled to regain his pre-injury form. Fans continue to watch his performances with patience and hope, grateful for what he once gave them during difficult times and dreaming he can do it again. However, these hopes are waning with each new injury.

Fati is one of the few players, along with Ferran Torres, who has failed to rediscover his best form under Xavi Hernandez. A loan spell at Brighton last season did little for the player, who seems to have lost his self-confidence.

Speaking to club staff—who, like all sources in this article, requested anonymity to protect their relationships—it feels almost taboo to discuss Fati’s situation, as everyone feels sympathy for him and hopes things will change. Perhaps former Brighton manager Roberto De Zerbi was the most honest about Fati’s situation when he said publicly in April: “Fati is doing very well, but I have different expectations of him. My opinion of him has not changed. He is one of the best talents in the world at his age, but he needs to improve his performance, fitness, and mentality because to play in the Premier League, you need to be mentally and physically stronger. When he shows us he is ready, he can play with us.”

Fati finished his loan spell at Brighton with 4 goals and 1 assist in 27 appearances, though a hamstring injury in November kept him out for 10 weeks. He is no longer the same player who made a breakthrough, and it is difficult to discern whether it is a matter of confidence struggles or physical issues.

When Fati returned from Brighton, Barcelona told him they would give him a preseason under new coach Xavi to see how he was doing. However, he did not look as untouchable as he did during previous transfer windows.

Fati impressed Xavi at first and was eager to prove he deserved a new chance. Then, just before Barcelona’s tour to the U.S., a player stepped on Fati’s foot during a training session, injuring him.

Fati initially felt it wasn’t a serious injury and continued training, but when the Barcelona medical staff examined him, they discovered a foot injury. It was a blow to his hopes of making an impact during preseason, with several other top players missing, and it might have given him a new opportunity. He missed the tour due to this problem, and any potential departure was put on hold, just as could happen now with his latest muscle injury as the January transfer window approaches.

Many physiotherapists he consulted at the time said that undergoing multiple surgeries, as Fati has, could cause ongoing pain over time, even when his meniscus recovers.

Those working closely with Fati at the club say he needs to feel supported at this time, which is a natural and understandable outcome given his injury history.

His future remains uncertain, and his chances of breaking into the first team look slim.

Barcelona, under Xavi, relies on merit. Fati started in an unfavorable position after missing preseason, and he has been disappointing when called upon. In his most recent appearance, he failed to make a difference as Barcelona registered “zero shots” on target in a 1-0 loss to Real Sociedad.

Then there’s the fact that Barcelona boasts the most prolific attacking trio in Europe’s top five leagues: Raphinha, Robert Lewandowski, and Lamine Yamal, who have scored 37 goals between them.

Lewandowski is the Spanish league’s top scorer with 14 goals, and at 36 years old, he is having one of the best seasons of his career. Raphinha has thrived since moving from right wing to left wing, and Yamal has contributed to 14 goals in 16 matches. It is hard to see where Fati or Torres would fit in, even though Yamal is currently sidelined with an ankle injury.

Five years ago, no one expected Fati to rely on short-term appearances to reenter Barcelona’s first team. But this is the reality for a player who is moving further and further from his peak.