Valencia’s Mouctar Diakhaby suffered a serious knee injury in the game against Real Madrid. The 27-year-old will undergo surgery today (Thursday)
Mouctar Diakhaby has overcome the shock. The defender was discharged from hospital on Tuesday and made a point of visiting his team-mates afterwards – albeit on crutches and accompanied by the club doctors. But with a smile on his face
But how bad is Diakhaby’s situation after his horror injury against Real Madrid? In any case, the images got so much under the skin that Real players such as Antonio Rüdiger and Fede Valverde had to turn away because they couldn’t bear them. Spanish media quoted tennis star Carlos Alcaraz’s doctor, among others, who does not rule out the possibility of a career-ending injury if the cartilage is damaged. The respected specialist Enrique Gastaldi, meanwhile, told SER Deportivos Valencia that it was “the most serious injury a footballer can suffer to the knee.”
Surgery with the “miracle healer “
However, these are only remote diagnoses, as Diakhaby has not even undergone surgery yet. That won’t happen until this Thursday in his native France, in Lyon to be precise. “I have great faith in the doctors in Valencia, but France is my home and my family. I have a lot of support. My teammates support me a lot,” he told Radio Marca. Four or five ligaments in the knee joint are said to be torn.
The complicated case will be dealt with by orthopaedic surgeon Bertrand Sonnery-Cottet under the supervision of Dr. Pedro Lopez, the head of Valencia’s medical department. Sonnery-Cottet has made a name for himself with the successful operation on World Cup skier Giraud Moine, among others. After a serious fall in Garmisch in January 2017, the Frenchman suffered dislocations of both knee joints and ligament injuries, among other things. “At best, you can become a ski instructor,” Sonnery-Cottet told L’Equipe. Instead, Moine celebrated a highly acclaimed comeback in November 2018, became European Cup winner in the downhill in 2019/20 and won the downhill in Kvitfjell in February 2020. For Sonnery-Cottet, it was “a miracle of sports medicine.”
Kondogbia believes in his “little brother “
A story that certainly gives Diakhaby hope. “It’s going to be a long battle, but I’m ready for it and I’ll do everything I can to get back on the pitch as quickly as possible and even stronger,” he has since said. His close friend and teammate Geoffrey Kondogbia is also confident of a comeback. “He’s like a little brother to me,” said the 31-year-old. “I’ve spoken to him. I see him with a smile on his face and he’s ready to take on this challenge.” Diakhaby is a “person with character. I trust in his physical and mental strength to overcome whatever comes his way. “
