Portuguese star snubs Benfica return, injured for national games | OneFootball

Nélson Semedo, Fenerbahçe's full-back, will be sidelined for about a month due to injury, thus missing Portugal's friendly matches against Mexico and the United States, announced the Turkish club this Monday, March 2nd.

The 32-year-old full-back suffered a "partial tear in the medial collateral ligament of the left knee" during the game against Antalyaspor, in which he participated for only 20 minutes and has already begun treatment. His return to the field is expected only in April.

As a result, the defender will not be included in coach Roberto Martínez's squad for the preparation games on March 28th and 31st. Both matches are part of Portugal's preparation for the final phase of the 2026 World Cup, which will take place in the United States, Mexico, and Canada.

In the summer, the athlete chose to move to Turkey to play for Fenerbahçe, when many expected his return to Benfica: "I have always been very transparent with the people I spoke to, with my agent, and I always said what I thought. I felt it was too soon to return to Portugal. I take good care of myself and my body. I think I have a few years ahead of me," he admitted at the time.

In the 2025/26 season, with the Fenerbahçe jersey, Nélson Semedo – currently valued at 7.5 million euros – appeared in 32 matches: 19 in the Turkish league, four in the Champions League qualifying playoffs, and nine in the Europa League. In the 2,386 minutes played on the field, the defender scored one goal and provided two assists.

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