Chumi blow: Almería defender faces weeks out with knee ligament injury
Former Barcelona youth player sidelined with MCL sprain, adding to Almería's defensive woes as club finally breaks silence on his mysterious absence.
Almería finally confirm extent of defender’s injury after weeks of speculation, with the former Barcelona academy product facing extended time on the sidelines.
The mysterious case of the disappearing defender
Bit of a dog’s dinner down at Almería regarding Chumi’s fitness situation, innit? The centre-back has been conspicuous by his absence from the first team picture since mid-December, with fans and journos alike scratching their heads over what’s actually happened to the lad.
After initially suffering a Grade 2 ankle sprain against Córdoba back in October 2025, Chumi made it back to the squad for the December 14th clash with Burgos - though he didn’t get any minutes. Then, mysteriously, he vanished from the matchday squad the following week without explanation.
Manager Rubi offered only the vaguest of hints before the Málaga match on December 20th, suggesting Chumi had taken “a little knock” that would hopefully be “just a scare”. Talk about keeping your cards close to your chest!
The truth emerges - a month late
Fast forward to now, and Almería have finally come clean through an official club statement: Chumi has suffered a sprain to the medial collateral ligament in his left knee. The defender is currently in physiotherapy and rehabilitation, with “several weeks” still needed before he’ll be available for selection again.
The timing of this announcement - a full month after the injury occurred on December 19th during training - has raised serious questions about the club’s transparency regarding player injuries. Bit of a liberty if you ask me!
Defensive headaches mounting
This represents more bad news for Almería’s backline, which is already:
- Missing Bonini through injury
- Without Pedro Fidel
- Lacking Aridane, who’s out of the picture
The Segunda División side are reportedly hoping Huesca will relent in negotiations for Jorge Pulido, with Almería looking to secure his services for less than €1 million to patch up their defensive crisis.
For poor Chumi, this marks his third consecutive injury this season, limiting the former Barcelona youth product to just four appearances. The club statement did offer a small positive note, indicating his recovery is “progressing favorably” with a new phase of field testing and readaptation work scheduled to begin next week.