Madrid, Dec 16 (IANS): Barcelona confirmed that Spanish forward David Villa will be sidelined for between "four and five months" after the striker broke his shinbone in their 4-0 FIFA Club World Cup semifinal victory over Al-Sadd in Yokohama, Japan.
The 30-year-old was stretchered off the ground six minutes before halftime. Barca announced Thursday night that Villa has suffered a fracture to the tibia in his left leg. The player taken to hospital in Yokohama for further tests.
"In the coming hours, Villa will return to Barcelona, via Frankfurt, to be operated on. He will be accompanied by doctor Ricard Pruna and Manel Estiarte. The approximate time he will be sidelined is between four and five months," the club said in a statement.
Villa is likely to miss the majority of Barca's La Liga and UEFA Champions League matches, but could be available to play for Spain in the UEFA EURO 2012, beginning June
Barcelona coach Pep Guardiola said: "He will be greatly missed as a colleague and as a player. I hope everything goes well. He will be out for a long time. It's a big blow to the team. We just hope that he can play again as soon as possible."
In a message posted on his Facebook page, Villa said: "The injury is a tough blow, but I'm sure that I'm going to recover as soon as possible."