Gavi suffers injury in Barcelona's 5-0 win over Elche

Gavi was forced to leave the match after a right knee injury during Barcelona's 5-0 win over Elche on Sunday. The club confirms it is a bruise and that the player will return to training soon.

Match result

Barcelona began its LaLiga title defence with a 5-0 victory over Elche. Raphinha and Fermin López each scored twice, while Karim Adeyemi netted in his first competitive appearance.

Gavi's injury

In the second half of the first half, the midfielder was pulled to the ground after a fall and was seen clutching his right knee, showing signs of pain. Coach Xavi Flick said the injury is “just a bruise” and that the player is better than expected.

Injury history

Gavi has had problems with the same knee throughout his career. In the 2023-24 season he missed the second half after rupturing his anterior cruciate ligament. In the previous season, from August to March, he underwent surgery to repair a medial meniscus tear.

His first-team record: senior debut in August 2021, 76 starts in the first two seasons, 42 since the end of 2022-23, 42 games in 2024-25 (20 of them as a starter), 15 in 2023-24 and 13 in 2025-26.

Coach's statement

When asked about Gavi’s health, Flick said: “It’s his knee. We have to wait. It’s a little better than he expected when he got injured. After the game he was much better. We will do an MRI and see.”

Next steps

The club confirmed that the medical tests carried out the following morning identified only a bruise. Gavi “is expected to return to training shortly”. The duration of his absence has not been confirmed.