Panichelli on the injury that cost him the World Cup, Boca ruled out | OneFootball

As the Argentina national team goes through its first days of training camp in Kansas and fine-tunes the final details ahead of its World Cup debut, there is one footballer following the journey from the outside and still processing the hardest blow of his career. Joaquín Panichelli, one of the biggest breakout players of the season in Europe, broke his silence and revealed how he dealt internally with the injury that kept him off the World Cup squad.

The forward suffered a torn anterior cruciate ligament in his left knee while preparing for the friendly against Mauritania, an injury that not only forced him to undergo surgery but also took away his chance to play in his first World Cup. “It was before the match with Mauritania, in a simple play. Then, in the first few days, I was grieving and asking myself why this had happened to me,” he admitted in an interview with Paren la Mano.

Far from focusing only on the sporting frustration, Panichelli spoke about the impact of once again facing a long recovery. And it was not an unfamiliar situation for him. “I had already gone through it with the other leg, and you know everything that’s coming: the surgery, spending a month on crutches, and all that,” he explained.

Scaloni was visibly moved by Panichelli’s injury

The forward also described the hours after the diagnosis, when the news fully sinks in and a process begins that is as complex physically as it is emotionally: “You have to go get blood drawn, do the pre-op tests, go in and out… All of that hits you at once, and that’s the hard part.”

The injury came at the worst possible time. Panichelli was going through one of the best spells of his career, leading Ligue 1 in goals at Strasbourg, and had worked his way into Lionel Scaloni’s coaching staff’s plans as one of the attacking alternatives for the World Cup. However, that incident before the match against Mauritania completely changed his plans.

While his teammates are already working in Kansas with the World Cup opener in mind, the forward is now facing a long recovery with the goal of returning to competition in 2027. He has months of rehabilitation ahead of him, but also the peace of mind of knowing that, at 23, he still has a long road ahead.

Panichelli before the injury with the Argentina national team.

During the same conversation, Panichelli also referred to a hypothetical situation involving Argentine football and made his stance on Boca clear. “I couldn’t. I identify too strongly with River,” he replied when asked whether he would play for Xeneize.

The statement was not surprising. The striker came through River Plate’s youth academy and still feels a strong sense of belonging to the club from Núñez, despite having developed his professional career in Europe.

In any case, he admitted that he would like to have an experience in Argentine football, something he still feels he is missing. “Argentine football has its issues, but if you never got to live it, you’re left with that little thorn of wanting to go to the stadiums, to feel that passion, those fans, whatever it may be. I wouldn’t like to come back when I’m older. We’ll see what happens from here on out. I’m 23 and I hope I still have several years left in Europe.”

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