Mexico National Team Player Suffers Serious Knee Injury

Luis Chávez tore his ACL during a practice session with El Tri.

Luis Chávez was Mexico's best player in the 2022 World Cup. | IMAGO/Agencia-MexSport

The Mexico national team have been dealt a major injury blow following confirmation that midfielder Luis Chávez suffered a torn ACL in training this week.

El Tri released a statement confirming the Dinamo Moscow player had suffered an injury that forced him to leave Mexico's practice session on Wednesday, with further testing subsequently revealing the severity of the issue.

“Luis Chávez, 29-year-old midfielder, is out of the 2025 Gold Cup after suffering a serious knee injury,” the statement read. “Chávez suffered a torn ACL on his right knee, a diagnosis that was confirmed after he underwent an MRI on Thursday.

“We wish Luis Chávez a speedy and satisfactory recovery.”

It's a massive loss for Mexico for the Gold Cup and beyond. Although Mexico didn't offer a timeline for Chavez's recovery, he's expected to miss from six to eight months. The predicted timeline could jeopardize his place in Javier Aguirre's roster for the 2026 FIFA World Cup.

Chávez was Mexico's best player in the 2022 World Cup in Qatar, even scoring a wonderful free kick vs. Saudi Arabia in El Tri's last game of a the tournament.

The Liga MX champion with Pachuca has since made the jump to European soccer in Russia with Dinamo Moscow and continued to be a regular with Mexico. Chávez started Mexico's last game in the Gold Cup vs. Costa Rica.

Mexico will have to rely on Marcel Ruiz, Orbelín Pineda and Carlos Rodríguez to fill the void left by Chávez. However, as a left-footed central midfielder, El Tri has no natural replacement for Chavez's profile, making his injury even more significant.

Players will have to step-up and impress Aguirre in the coming months, still, El Tri will be hoping Chávez can be ready for the World Cup in 12 months time.

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