In the 3-1 loss against Reims, Leonardo Balerdi attempted to clear the ball but fell awkwardly and had to be replaced before halftime. Initial reports indicate a possible ligament injury, with an estimated recovery period of two to three months, which could cause him to miss the rest of the season and the June FIFA date.
The incident occurred in the early minutes of the match, when the former Boca player attempted a bicycle kick that resulted in a dramatic fall. Although Balerdi tried to continue on the field, just 15 minutes later he had to leave the game with obvious signs of pain. While no official medical report has been issued yet, in France there is already talk of a sprain in the internal lateral ligament of his left knee.
Leo Balerdi's injury that could sideline him for the entire season
According to L'Equipe, if the severity of the injury is confirmed, the defender will not be able to play for the rest of the season, as his downtime would range between two and three months. This comes at an inopportune time, not only because of his good form at Marseille, but also because clubs like Roma and Bayern Munich seemed to be closely following him ahead of the next transfer market.
"I'm saddened to have lost Balerdi, it hurts even more than the defeat. I hope he recovers soon, because with (Derek) Cornelius he's the only available center-back, as Luiz Felipe is also injured. I asked him how he was, he told me he wanted to continue. Also, we didn't have many options in defense. Without Balerdi, we're missing a fast center-back. We struggle when he's not there, the team often loses in his absence," said his coach, Roberto De Zerbi, after the match, making clear the importance of the Argentine in his scheme. In fact, Balerdi was the team's captain until his departure, at which point he handed the armband to Adrien Rabiot.
