Boca Juniors, Dec 11 (IANS): Boca Juniors midfielder Fernando Gago faces months on the sidelines after rupturing his right Achilles tendon during his team's Copa Libertadores final defeat to River Plate.
Gago limped off the pitch in the final minutes of Boca's 3-1 extra-time defeat to their Argentine rivals in the second leg of the final at Madrid's Bernabeu stadium on Sunday, a result that handed River a 5-3 win on aggregate, reports Xinhua.
"Be strong, Fernando," Boca said in a statement on social media after scans confirmed the 32-year-old's worst fears on Monday.
Most footballers require three to six months to make a full recovery from a torn Achilles tendon.
Former Real Madrid playmaker Gago, who has been capped 61 times for Argentina's national team, has been beset by a long list of injuries throughout his career, including two previous Achilles tendon tears.