Spanish
SPAIN. Spanish international striker Samu Aghehowa became the first confirmed absence from the Spain national team for the 2026 World Cup, after suffering a torn anterior cruciate ligament in his right knee during a match with FC Porto.
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The Portuguese club reported that the player will undergo further medical evaluations by the Health Department in the coming days to determine the definitive scope of the recovery process. However, this type of injury usually requires a minimum period of six months away from the playing fields. The 21-year-old attacker was injured last Monday in the 1-1 draw against Sporting CP, corresponding to the Portuguese League. Aghehowa fell to the pitch in the final minutes of the first half with visible gestures of pain. Although he briefly returned after receiving medical assistance, he was substituted during halftime. Trained in Spanish football, the player from Melilla played for Deportivo Alavés —on loan from Atlético de Madrid— before making the jump to the Portuguese team, where he has had an outstanding season with 20 goals, 13 of them in the league, leading the attack of the “dragons”. His injury not only sidelines him from the end of the season with Porto, but also from the upcoming commitments of the national team led by Luis de la Fuente, including the Finalissima against Argentina national football team and the friendly against Egypt national football team, scheduled for March in Qatar. Furthermore, his recovery casts doubt on his presence at the FIFA World Cup 2026, which will be held in the United States, Mexico, and Canada. Aghehowa's absence is a hard blow for the Spanish team, which loses one of its most promising attackers at a key moment in the World Cup cycle.
