“Player number 19” on the cursed list has been revealed: who is the new player with a cruciate ligament rupture?

“It’s not 18, it’s 19! And more and more players will continue to break, this is inevitable”, anticipated the doctor Jorge Pablo Batista before the spate of cruciate ligament tears in the Argentine League Cup. This Monday Clarín counted one by one the 18 injuries that left their mark in the first twelve rounds of Argentine football. And, as the Boca Juniors doctor had anticipated, a few hours later player number 19 was met.

“Argentine football is extremely difficult,” said Batista, who listed some of the causes of this “epidemic” of the Crusaders’ injuries: “Very tight schedule, playing fields in some cases in poor condition, tendency to use semicircular caps instead of round caps, psychological stress.”

The new injured player (number 19) came out of the match in which Defensa y Justicia defeated Estudiantes last Friday and entered the ranking positions in zone B of the League Cup. It all seemed like good news but, before their debut in the Copa Sudamericana, Halcón suffered the loss of a fundamental player: Gastón Togni was added to the cursed list.

“The studies carried out on the player Gastón Togni have highlighted a rupture of the anterior cruciate ligament of the right knee. The player, together with the medical department of the facility, analyzes the steps to follow. Gastón, you will come back stronger, all of Varela is with you and wishes you a speedy recovery”, wrote Defensa y Justicia on his X social network account.

The winger, who started against Pincha, had to be replaced in the 19th minute of the ST due to a knee injury. After a crash from the left, in the attacking zone, the former Independiente remained lying on the ground and immediately asked for a substitution. This Monday the worst was confirmed: torn cruciate ligaments in one knee.

Now, the former Independiente faces a long rehabilitation with a floor of six to eight months. It will be the third that the 26-year-old footballer will have to face in his career. He injured his left knee (anterior cruciate) in February 2019, also playing for Defense. And the following year, again at Independiente, the same area suffered in March. He faced his second recovery in the midst of the pandemic and returned to play in February 2021.

El Halcón de Varela contributes three players to the list of 19 cruciate ligament ruptures in the League Cup. Kevin Gutiérrez and David Barbona had fallen before.

After this hard blow, Defensa y Justicia will have to face their debut in the Copa Sudamericano this Tuesday at 11pm: they will do so against César Vallejo visiting Peru in Group A of the continental competition.

Batista’s message