Dutch midfielder Xavi Simons is out of the World Cup. The 23-year-old player ruptured the anterior cruciate ligament in his right knee in Tottenham’s victory over Wolverhampton this Saturday, in the Premier League, and did not hide his disappointment at missing the Netherlands in the national team tournament.
In an emotional post on her Instagram account, Simonsone of the main highlights of the orange team in the 2024 Euro Cup, He said he was “heartbroken” and said that “none of this makes sense”.
In the wake of the injury, Simons screamed in pain and grabbed his knee after a tackle with the opposing team’s defender, Hugo Bueno, in the second half of Tottenham’s 1-0 victory and had to be taken off the field on a stretcher.
“My season has come to an abrupt end and I’m just trying to let this sink in. All I wanted was to fight for my team and now the possibility of doing that has been taken away from me…along with the World Cup,” he wrote. “Representing my country this summer… it’s just gone.”
Still down from the injury on the eve of the World Cup, he said that the comeback will take time. “It will take time for me to come to terms with this, but I will continue to be the best teammate I can be. I have no doubt that together we will win this battle.”
Tottenham remained in the relegation zone, in second to last place (it occupies 18th place with 34 points) and is at serious risk of being relegated in English football for the first time since the end of the 1970s. There are still four games left until the end of the competition.
Simons, who arrived from Leipzig in pre-season, has not been an absolute starter for Spurs. However, he has become more used in the team’s lineup in recent matches under new coach Roberto De Zerbi.
He helped the Netherlands reach the semi-finals of Euro 2024 and was expected to be a key member of the team at the World Cup, where they are in the same group as Sweden, Tunisia and Japan. The Netherlands’ debut will be against the Japanese, on June 14th.
Finally, the player indicated that resilience should be his fuel to get through this complicated moment in the career. “I will walk this path now, guided by faith, with strength, with resilience, with belief, as I count the days until I return to the field,” wrote Simons. “Be patient with me.”
