The worst has been confirmed for FC Barcelona’s Rafinha: the 22-year-old has suffered a tear to his right anterior cruciate ligament.
https://twitter.com/barcastuff/status/644442798016606208/photo/1?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw
The injury was sustained in Barcelona’s 1-1 tie against Roma. Two minutes after entering the match, Rafinha was nailed by a brutal tackle from behind by Radja Nainggolan.
The challenge was deemed a yellow card offense, but left fans overwhelmingly disgusted:
https://twitter.com/anituarco/status/644433489207644160
This is a tremendous loss for Barcelona, as the Brazilian has been in stellar form as of late. Rafinha recently made his full international debut for Brazil, coming on as a substitute for Luiz Gustavo with nine minutes remaining in the Canarinho’s friendly against Costa Rica, and he went on to score a stunning goal in Brazil’s 4-1 drubbing of the United States. He has featured in six of Barca’s past seven games, and scored in the UEFA Super Cup last month. It looks like both Alcántara brothers might be plagued by knee injuries throughout their careers.