Reports: Dislocated Shoulder Could Knock Mohamed Salah Out Of The World Cup

Saturday’s Champions League final was a feverish, spectacular affair featuring memorable feats of athleticism, an even more memorable all-time boner, and a perfectly timed idiot on the pitch. The match was pretty significantly marred, though, by a first half injury to world-destroying goal-bot Mohamed Salah, who was violently yanked to the pitch by Real Madrid defender Sergio Ramos.

Soccer dudes writhe on the pitch in big melodramatic displays all the time, for reasons that have little or nothing to do with any actual pain, but this was different: Salah’s left shoulder was visibly fucked up, laying at a funny angle on the turf as Salah twisted in obvious agony. He eventually left the pitch in tears, and Liverpool brought on Adam Lallana as a sub, ending Salah’s match.

There’s no way of knowing for sure how the match might’ve played out had Ramos not taken out Salah, nor how it might’ve played out if Ramos had gotten, say, a card for his part in the tumble. But the injury— described in updates as a dislocated shoulder—could potentially affect Salah’s availability for the upcoming World Cup. Nothing is certain on that front—various reports have him everywhere from questionable to all the way out—but generally everyone agrees that a shoulder dislocation sucks shit. The points to a NHS explainer that says a shoulder dislocation should take 12 to 16 weeks to fully recover—Egypt plays its first World Cup match on June 15. Liverpool coach Jurgen Klopp seems pretty concerned the injury could cost his player a chance to represent his country:

Asked whether Salah was a doubt for the World Cup in Russia, which starts on 14 June, Klopp added: “Yes. It’s unbelievable. It’s something with the shoulder obviously.”

Man. What an unbelievably shitty turn of events.

Update: Here’s some potentially good news!

Via Google translate:

During the telephone follow-up conducted by the mission of the national team in Italy to check on the case of Mohammed Salah, officials said Liverpool that the radiation was performed on the shoulder of Salah and showed that the injury was a shock in the shoulder joints and Dr. Abu Ela expressed his optimism that Salah to match the World Cup according to this diagnosis