Bastos injury worsens, Botafogo set to miss him until 2026 | OneFootball

A defensive pillar in the magical year of 2024, center-back Bastos is having an unfortunate 2025. The 34-year-old Angolan suffered an injury back in February and, since then, has not played this season. It was expected that the player would return to training in October, but the knee problem appears to have worsened, which would delay his return until 2026.

After the injury in February, Botafogo reportedly understood that Bastos’ left knee issue would require surgery, but the defender is said to have chosen not to undergo the procedure. Instead, the Angolan reportedly opted for a conservative treatment.

Thus, after the possible refusal by the defender to undergo surgery, Bastos reportedly signed a consent form to not have the operation. In this way, he followed an alternative protocol set by the Alvinegro’s Health and Performance Center.

The information about the worsening of Bastos’ injury was initially reported by GE.

Photo: Vítor Silva/Botafogo

Consequences

Thus, after the conservative treatment, Bastos was registered for the Club World Cup in June. However, during one of the training sessions held in the United States, the Angolan reportedly felt the injury again and, in the end, agreed to the surgery.

Bastos’ next step was to receive permission from Botafogo to undergo the procedure at a hospital in Italy. The surgery finally took place on July 2, and at the time, the club estimated that the defender would return to training in three months – at the beginning of October.

However, upon his return, Botafogo reassessed the injury, which reportedly led to a delay in his comeback. The defender is still in the physiotherapy stage and is not yet doing advanced transition work. Thus, Bastos is now expected to be 100% fit only in 2026.

This article was translated into English by Artificial Intelligence. You can read the original version in 🇧🇷 here.