Dia de los heridos


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A common tradition in Latin America is the celebration of Dia de Los Muertos, a time to remember loved ones who have passed. It is believed that during this time, “La Muerte’’ roams the streets and visits the homes of the souls it has lifted in recent times.

With the World Cup less than a month away from starting, I wanted to take a moment to remember those who, due to injury, lost their chance of playing in a World Cup. 

The most recent and perhaps most notable injury is that of Portuguese forward Diogo Jota, who suffered a calf injury late into stoppage time last weekend. Jota started the match for Liverpool in their weekend matchup against current Premier League Champions, Manchester City. The 25-year-old was taken off the pitch and is believed to miss the World Cup due to a tear in his calf. It is hard to speculate a return from these injuries as the recovery rate is pretty quick, but the re-injury rate is high — complicating a prompt return to the pitch. 

Argentina is also seeing their chances of a World Cup title shrink as Paulo Dybala will miss Qatar and Angel Di Maria is considered questionable. The two attackers who play in the Italian Serie A for Juventus and Roma have experienced serious injuries that threaten their return to the field of play. While Di Maria’s prognosis after a low-grade injury to the hamstring is a return after 20 days, Dybala runs with less luck, as an injury to his left quadricep will leave him off the field for, at most, six weeks. At 28 years old, this is also Dybala’s last chance at a World Cup during his prime. 

Another prominent absence will be that of French midfielder N’Golo Kante as he is facing a hamstring injury, leaving him out for four months. In his time at Chelsea, Kante has scored 12 goals in the Premier League and contributed with 16 assists between Premier League and Champions League activity. His instrumental role in the French national team will be missed in Qatar. 

Mexican fans still worry about who their striker will be ahead of the first match against Poland. El Tri is full of uncertainties after Jesus Manuel “El Tecatito” Corona’s fracture to his ankle and ligament injury during a training session with Sevilla back in August. Gerardo Martino’s team has also struggled to gain their striker’s full potential as Raul Jimenez continues to fight the horrors of the injury list. After his cranial injury with David Luis, the Wolverhampton striker has not been his usual killer self. Now, another injury is keeping him on the brink of missing the World Cup; a groin injury. However, Jimenez continues in rehabilitation with the Mexican National Team medical staff in hopes of returning for Qatar.  

The last few weeks prior to the World Cup tend to be a danger for soccer players, as any minor injury can keep them off of the team plane with only days remaining before departing. Take Mexican defender Nestor Araujo for example, who missed the 2018 World Cup due to an injury which occurred in a friendly against Croatia only a few weeks prior to the start of the tournament, or Mexican midfielder Luis Montes, who in 2014, lost his chance for a World Cup run after an ankle fracture kept him off the roster only two weeks before the start of the Brazil World Cup. 

We can only wait and see what these nations will be able to do despite the important absences they have suffered. It will be our job to remember these fallen players and imagine what it would have been like with them on the pitch. For the players listed above, there is not much more to do than join us in watching from home.

José Romo-González is a junior writing about the FIFA Qatar 2022 World Cup. His column “Next Stop: Qatar” runs every other Friday.