Lionel Messi Injury Update: Barcelona Star out 7-8 Weeks with Torn Knee Ligament

Barcelona were dealt a major blow Saturday as star forward Lionel Messi suffered a torn knee ligament during a 2-1 win against Las Palmas, an injury that could sideline him for up to two months and force him to miss the Clasico against Real Madrid. The club confirmed the news via Twitter.

As shared by football writer Dermot Corrigan, manager Luis Enrique didn't play down Messi's importance to the squad and how this injury will impact the Blaugrana:

The 28-year-old suffered the injury during the first 10 minutes of Saturday's clash, twisting his knee as he tried to take a shot. Messi played on for several minutes and even tried to make a few passes before coming off the pitch.

According to author Sid Lowe, the current timeline of seven to eight weeks would see the four-time Ballon d'Or winner return just in time for the Clasico against Los Blancos, although it's far from certain he'll make it back in time. Either way, he's set to miss out on several big matches:

As expected, the news made a big impact on the Barcelona faithful. La Liga blogger Sergi Dominguez took it particularly badly:

With Rafinha also sidelined with an injury and Pedro now plying his trade for Chelsea, the Catalans are suddenly stretched very thin at the forward position. Munir El Haddadi replaced Messi against Las Palmas, and Sandro Ramirez is also available.

Both youngsters have the talent to succeed but lack big-match experience, and the thought of having to rely on those two for upcoming matches against Sevilla, Villarreal and perhaps even Real is frightening.

Fortunately, the Blaugrana still field two world-class forwards in Luis Suarez, who scored both goals on Saturday, and Neymar, who missed a penalty.  

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