Flamengo player to undergo surgery in Spain

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Coluna do Fla

·2 January 2026

Flamengo player to undergo surgery in Spain

Who is the Flamengo player with heel problems requesting surgery?

After months of complaining about pain, midfielder Saúl Ñíguez will finally undergo surgery. Flamengo announced this Friday (02) that the athlete will go to Spain the following week to undergo a procedure on his left heel.

See the club's statement:

OneFootball Videos

The player Saúl Ñíguez will undergo surgery on his left heel next week in Spain. The player has been complaining for about three months of pain and discomfort. Since then, he has been continuously monitored by Flamengo's Medical Department. The decision for the procedure, which is minimally invasive, was made after a thorough medical evaluation accompanied by the club's Medical Department. The surgery will be performed by Dr. Niek van Dijk, a world reference on the subject. The date of the surgery will be informed after the final consultation with the Dutch doctor.

What is wrong with Saúl's heel?

At the end of last season, Saúl made public the downside of missing pre-season. Thus, the Spaniard believes that the poor quality of Brazilian football pitches contributed to the insertional Achilles tendinopathy, which means a prominent bone in the heel causing pain.

— Against Estudiantes (ARG), I had a problem and since then, I had to apply anesthesia to play. After Bahia, everything changed because I was no longer applying it, it was already complicated and I was enduring the pain -, highlighted the European athlete.

Is Saúl Ñíguez out for the Flamengo season?

The Rubro-Negro has not set a date for the midfielder's return to the field. However, there are rumors that the recovery period is three to four months. If confirmed, the player will only return to play for Flamengo after the Carioca and with the Brasileirão underway.

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