Barcelona’s Villa fractures his leg against Al Sadd in the Club World Cup semi-final
Barcelona and Spain striker David Villa is set for a lengthy spell on the sidelines after fracturing his leg.
The 30-year-old fractured his left tibia shortly before half-time in Thursday’s Fifa Club World Cup semi-final against Al Sadd in Yokohama.
“Bad news for David Villa and Barca; the striker’s left tibia is fractured,” Barcelona said on their Twitter feed.
“The player has been taken to the Yokohama Rosa hospital for further tests.”
Villa, a £34m signing from Valencia in 2010, was carried off on a stretcher after appearing to land awkwardly 39 minutes into a game Barcelona were winning 1-0.
Although they completed a 4-0 victory over the Qatari club to book their place in the final, Barcelona can expect to be without Villa for some time.
His injury may also put in doubt his participation at the Euro 2012, when Spain will attempt to defend their title.
Villa is Spain’s all-time leading scorer with 50 goals in 81 games and played a key role in their World Cup triumph in South Africa last summer.
Adriano scored twice and Seydou Keita and Maxwell also found the net to secure Barcelona’s comfortable passage into Sunday’s final against Santos.
Villa scores for Spain at the 2010 World Cup