Luis “El Chapo” Montes underwent a successful operation to repair a fracture to his tibia and fibula but will miss the World Cup this month.
The Mexican star scored the goal that put Mexico ahead of Ecuador for good during a warmup friendly on May 31 but two minutes later sustained the leg fracture.
Shortly after the goal, Montes and Ecuador’s Segundo Castillo became entangled and went down chasing a loose ball. Castillo limped off the field and didn’t return. Montes never got up.
Montes, a key member of El Tri’s midfield, covered his face as he was carried off on a stretcher to cheers from the pro-Mexican crowd of 84,876 at the home of the Dallas Cowboys. He went to the hospital for evaluation of an apparent fracture to his lower right leg.
“We prayed for him and now we’re going to hope that he recuperates as soon as possible,” Mexico coach Miguel Herrera said through a translator. “We’re going to have a long talk tomorrow to keep the players focused.”
Montes arrived at the hospital in his game shirt at about 1:30 p.m. Surgery took about an hour.
(AFP/Getty Images)
“What we have found in the leg of ‘El Chapo’ was a fracture of the tibia and fibula - fortunately through surgery we were able to achieve stabilization at 100 percent, so we’re very optimistic and happy with what we have achieve,” the doctor told Metro Noticias.
Montes will take at least three months to heal--but the doctor said that it will take at least four, and up to six, for him to be 100 percent, and available to play soccer.
“I saw him very positive ” he said.
“The first thing he did was to take off his shirt, hand it to me and say, ‘ Doctor, I put my trust in you.’ It’s something I liked,” he added.
Mexican captain Rafael Marquez also went to the hospital for an injury to his right foot in a separate first-half play, but Herrera said the move was precautionary after Montes’ injury.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
Friends Read Free