20-year-old Barcelona forward Ansu Fati, who was once touted as the next Lionel Messi is now on the brink of leaving the club, following a failed injury-ridden career at the club so far, know his entire history and record
The La Masia graduate who inherited the infamous No.10 shirt was supposed to be the next big thing at Barcelona.
Ansu Fati injury history, record and list of all injuries he’s suffered in his career
Throw back to a 16-17 year old Ansu Fati before the injury 🤯
💎 Unbelievable 💎 pic.twitter.com/fyMRmge2Ag
— Yamalino🌟 (@Yamalino_) August 25, 2023
This is the proof that Xavi dislikes Ansu Fati:
1. He gave Dembele the opportunity when he came back from injury to gain his form.
2. He gave Pedri the chance to prove himself when he came back from injury and even trusted Lewa despite his bad form.
So why not the same for Fati? pic.twitter.com/fvcmWcjp9r— Fabulous❤️ (@KingFabulo) August 30, 2023
Four years on from his debut, Fati could be on his way out — perhaps an ideal outcome for all parties.
Ansu Fati a talented prospect
Ansu Fati came in as a hot prospect who liked to cut in from the wings and take on defenders and shoot goals with high precision. Fati was undoubtedly the closest player to Lionel Messi that Barcelona had produced.
The 20-year-old made his professional debut in September 2019, and immediately lived up to his hype. Fati broke countless records, and even scored at a higher rate than Messi in his early days. The youngster played an exciting brand of football, which further cemented his role as Messi’s successor. However, all of this soon fell apart, after a series of injuries.
The start of Ansu Fati’s injury-ridden career
Ansu Fati first injured himself on November 7, 2020, during a win over Real Betis. Fati twisted his left knee twisted awkwardly while his foot was planted. While Barca denied fears of a serious injury at first, the winger had reportedly suffered a torn meniscus. According to The Athletic, there was a disagreement over Fati’s meniscus treatment. While standard practice for such an injury would be to replace it, the surgeon instead opted to suture the ligament.
However, Barca rushed the player’s rehabilitation process by doubling his required physio sessions. As such, his knee soon became inflamed, which halted his recovery process.
A second and third operation
Just two months later on 4 January, 2021, Fati underwent another operation, which the club described as “regenerative biological treatment”. However, Fati did not recover as expected but refused to have his meniscus removed fearing long-term issues. As Fati’s knee pain continued he chose to undergo a third surgery by March, 2021, which proved ineffective again. As a result, the teenager suffered more pain and swelling in his left knee which led to Fati subsequently ditching the doctor and ruling himself out until the end of the 2020-21 season.
Fati undergoes a fourth operation in six months
By the end of the 2021 season Fati finally decided to remove the broken strands of his meniscus. The surgery was a standard procedure, and Fati would now have to take extra care of the affected knee and the muscles surrounding it to avoid further injury. It was his fourth operation in six months.
Yet another injury
While Fati had enjoyed a brief spell of fitness, he picked up another injury in his left thigh on 1 November, 2021. Following the injury, Fati was on the sidelines for two months, and 13 matches for both club and country. Fati made a great comeback coming off the bench to appear in the Spanish Super Cup final against Real Madrid.
However, the teenage sensation suffered the same injury yet again at the end of January. This time again, Barca recommended the winger undergo surgery, but Fati refused. Instead, he chose to undergo regular rehab, and he spent about three months on the sidelines. Fati returned with a bang as he scored on his first game back.
An uncertain future for Ansu Fati
Fati started off the 2022-23 season fully fit and had a solid pre-season. Although the youngster doesn’t have a solid spot in the starting XI, Fati still made major impacts off the bench. However, as things, stand, Barca are in need of money and could be willing to sell off Fati. Moreover, there are interests from clubs like Arsenal and other top European clubs. Barca manager Xavi’s actions of brushing aside questions about Fati’s future also seem like a step towards a sale. Additionally, a new competition in the form of 16-year-old Lamine Yamal – dubbed the new ‘new Messi’ is already above Ansu in the pecking order. All these signals could direct towards a potential move away for Ansu Fati.