Barcelona received reassuring news regarding Gavi after medical examinations ruled out another serious knee injury, confirming the issue is limited to a minor contusion that will not require a lengthy recovery period.
The 22-year-old was injured while attempting to regain possession against Elche, testing his ability to continue for several minutes before requesting a substitution in the 44th minute. Pedri replaced him in a match that ended in a 5-0 victory for Barcelona.
The club stated in an official release: “Gavi suffered a blow to his right knee during yesterday’s match, and medical tests conducted this morning confirmed it is merely a contusion; therefore, he is expected to return to training in a short time.”
Barcelona have not officially ruled Gavi out of their upcoming fixture against Athletic Club, scheduled for Thursday in the team’s first home match of the season at Spotify Camp Nou. However, his availability will depend on his return to training on Tuesday and how his knee responds to workload in the following hours.
The initial concern was substantial because the blow struck the exact same right knee where Gavi suffered a complete tear of the anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) and a meniscal injury during a match between Spain and Georgia in November 2023. He underwent surgery at the time, missing 336 days and 47 matches for Barcelona before returning in October 2024.
His ordeal did not end there; on September 23, 2025, Gavi underwent arthroscopic surgery to suture the internal meniscus in the same knee after feeling discomfort following just two appearances, which kept him sidelined for an additional 205 days before his return in March 2026. Consequently, the diagnosis of a simple contusion brought a happy ending to hours of anxiety within Barcelona.
