Victor Valdes' Barcelona career appears to be over. The goalkeeper tore his ACL in Barcelona's win over Celta Vigo on Wednesday, an injury that will require an operation to prepare and rule him out for the rest of the season.
Victor Valdes injury: Barcelona goalkeeper out for season with torn knee ligament
Jose Pinto will be Barcelona’s No. 1 goalkeeper for the remainder of the season.
Alex Caparros
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Valdes’ contract with Barcelona expires after the season and he has said that he would like to leave the club in the summer. If that is still true, and there is no reason to believe it isn’t, then Valdes has played his last match for the Blaugrana.
The injury occurred early in the match when Valdes leapt to gather a free kick, which he did, but his leg collapsed underneath him when he came down. The trainers immediately rushed onto the field and he had to be carted from the pitch. Valdes was then taken to a hospital to undergo scans, which confirmed the ligament tear.
With Valdes out, Jose Pinto will become Barcelona's No. 1 goalkeeper and Oier Olazabal will be his backup. Gerardo Martino insisted that the club would not buy another goalkeeper for the remainder of the season despite the fact that Pinto is not starter quality and Olazabal has played just one match in the first division.
As for what this means for Valdes’ future, that is unclear. A torn ACL normally requires six months to heal, meaning that Valdes will not be able to play again until September, which isn’t ideal for a player out of contract. While several clubs had been linked to the goalkeeper in recent months, whether they still want to sign him after his injury remains to be seen.
Barcelona are just one point out of first place in La Liga after their win on Wednesday. They trail Atletico Madrid, who they host on the final day of the season, while Real Madrid is just two points back of the Blaugrana in third place.
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