Lionel Messi to miss 7-8 weeks with torn knee ligament
Barcelona will be without superstar Lionel Messi for roughly two months.
Shortly after Saturday's 2-1 victory over Las Palmas, the club confirmed supporters' worst fears - the left knee injury suffered by the Argentine in the opening minutes of the contest is, in fact, a torn ligament.
Messi has a tear in the internal collateral ligament of his left knee. He will be out for around 7-8 weeks pic.twitter.com/TLor97gmou
— FC Barcelona (@FCBarcelona) September 26, 2015
The Argentine, who has three goals and two assists in five La Liga matches this season, hobbled off the pitch in the ninth minute of Saturday's match at the Camp Nou. He sustained the ailment early in the contest before trying to play through the pain - to no avail.
Related: VIDEO - Lionel Messi suffers knee injury vs. Las Palmas, taken to hospital for tests
After taking down a delicious cross-field pass and making a trademark burst into the penalty area, Messi cut onto his left foot, only to have his strike blocked by Pedro Bigas; the impact of the collision jarred his left knee.
The diminutive star played for a further six minutes before succumbing to the injury, crumbling to the pitch and asking to be substituted before walking directly down the tunnel. He was taken immediately to a hospital, where tests revealed the severity of the problem.
Sergio Busquets, discussing the only topic on everybody's mind after the match, rued the loss of the world's most illuminating talent.
"The worst news is that we have lost our best man," the midfielder said.
This team has always been able to overcome adversity. I'm convinced they'll do it again #ÁnimoLeo
— Josep Maria Bartomeu (@jmbartomeu) September 26, 2015
Messi, despite being the subject of seemingly endless fouls from opponents who have no other way to slow him down, has been exceedingly durable throughout his career. The 28-year-old was fouled 2.4 times per match last season, the ninth-highest total in La Liga, but still managed to play all 38 league games (starting 37 of them).
Related: How Lionel Messi's latest injury compares to past ailments
With the timeline provided by the club, Barcelona will be without its best player for a handful of important matches, and is in danger of fielding a team bereft of Messi for the fast-approaching Clasico against Real Madrid, scheduled for Nov. 22.
Even if the 28-year-old recovers ahead of that match, by that time, he will have already missed a league contest with Sevilla, as well as Champions League matches against Bayer Leverkusen and BATE Borisov.
Can Luis Suarez and Neymar carry the burden that's now planted firmly on their shoulders? We're about to find out.