Major European football competitions are progressively coming to a conclusion, and some prominent players have had their seasons cut short by injuries. As a result, they won’t be able to actively contribute to their clubs’ goals for the remainder of the 2025–2026 football season.
The beautiful game is today a landscape of dashed hopes, from Xavi Simons’ excruciating ACL injury at Molineux to Mohamed Salah’s trudging toward the touchline on April 25 with his hand pushed firmly on a ruptured hamstring to the ongoing defensive heartbreaks at Real Madrid.
In fact, some of the most gifted players in the world are switching from boots to crutches fewer than two months before the 2026 World Cup begins in North America, transforming what ought to have been a victorious season finale into a melancholy roll call of the dead.
Prominent figures sidelined due to injuries
Mo Salah: The Egyptian’s tenure at Anfield may have ended abruptly after he tore his hamstring in the 59th minute of the team’s 3-1 victory over Crystal Palace on April 25, 2026.
Salah will probably miss Liverpool’s remaining games against Manchester United, Chelsea, Aston Villa, and the season finale against Brentford due to the injury, which will take about four weeks to heal, according to his national team director, Ibrahim Hassan.
Nonetheless, it is anticipated that he will be fit for the World Cup.
Hugo Ekitike: Due to an Achilles tendon tear, the French player is anticipated to miss time until late 2026 or early 2027. On April 14, while trying to run during a UEFA Champions League encounter against PSG, the Liverpool attacker suffered the non-contact injury.
Rodrygo: The young Brazilian is not anticipated to play competitively again until early 2027 after being disqualified from the 2026 World Cup. During a game against Getafe in March 2026, the Real Madrid attacker sustained a torn lateral meniscus and a ruptured anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) in his right knee.
Xavi Simons: After rupturing his anterior cruciate ligament (ACL), Tottenham Hotspur’s playmaker is expected to be out until early 2027.
Eder Militao: Following surgery for a serious hamstring injury, the Real Madrid star defender is likewise not eligible to compete in the 2026 World Cup.
Cristian Romero: Due to a severe knee injury sustained during Hotspur’s 0-1 loss to Sunderland on April 12, 2026, the Tottenham captain will miss the season’s reminder. As the team fights to avoid relegation, the loss of their powerful leader is a serious setback.
Estevao Willian: During Chelsea’s 0-1 loss to Manchester United on April 18, 2026, the 19-year-old star had a severe hamstring injury that will keep him out of the season. His availability for Brazil’s 2026 World Cup campaign has also been seriously questioned due to the injury.
Iwobi’s ray of hope
Some players, like Alex Iwobi, are currently sidelined but have a glimmer of hope for a potential return before the end of the season, even though the aforementioned are confirmed to be out of the season for their teams.
Iwobi, a Nigerian playmaker, hobbled out during Fulham’s April 18 match with Brentford due to a hamstring issue. Marco Silva said on April 24 that he anticipates Iwobi returning before the conclusion of the season, despite the fact that he missed the next game against Aston Villa.
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