Ex-Liverpool winger sustains 5 cracked ribs and punctured lung in collision during legends game against Ajax
Former Brazilian winger Fabio Aurelio suffered a gruesome injury, cracking his ribs and puncturing his lung during Liverpool Legends' 4-2 win over Ajax Legends on Sunday, March 24.
Aurelio joined Liverpool in July 2005 on a free transfer from La Liga side Valencia, spending six years at Anfield. He was a part of the Legends squad that faced Ajax for a charity match last week.
Aurelio was joined by the likes of Steven Gerrard, Fernando Torres, Dirk Kuyt, Ryan Babel, and more in the Reds Legends squad. However, during the match, he suffered an injury in the dying minutes of the first half while trying to stop Kiki Musampa from scoring for Ajax.
The former Brazilian winger stated that he didn't expect to sustain an injury in a charity match but with more than 60,000 people watching the game, he got into competitive mode. He also revealed that, due to the injury, he wasn't able to fly back home after the game.
Aurelio said (via The Athletic):
"I just tried to make the block and as he followed through after shooting, he ended up hitting me with his knee. You don't expect an accident like that to happen in a legends match, but when you got there in front of 60,000 people, the competitive streak comes out."
He added:
"I couldn't fly back last week because of the damage to the lung. At the start, the doctors said that I would need to wait three weeks, so I was a bit scared, but the specialist saw the X-rays a few days ago and said it has settled down."
Aurelio was also present at Anfield during Liverpool's 2-1 win over Roberto Di Zebri's Brighton and Hove Albion on Sunday, March 31. However, he traveled back to Brazil a week later, much after his expected date of return.
Liverpool joins Bayern Munich and Chelsea in the race to sign Brazilian wonderkid: Reports
Jurgen Klopp's Liverpool have reportedly joined the race to sign Palmeiras midfielder Luis Guilherme in the upcoming summer transfer window, as per the Daily Mail.
According to the aforementioned report, the young Brazilian is also on the transfer radar of Bayern Munich and Chelsea. His current contract at Palmeiras is set to expire in November 2026, and his release clause is estimated to be around €55 million.
Guilherme has made 33 appearances for the senior team of Palmeiras, where he has mostly played as an attacking midfielder. The Brazilian football side has also produced the likes of Gabriel Jesus and Endrick in the past.