SportsPublished: May. 18, 2026, 10:29 a.m.
Real Madrid’s Aurelien Tchouameni fights for the ball against Barcelona’s Fermin Lopez during the Spanish La Liga soccer match between FC Barcelona and Real Madrid in Barcelona, Spain, Sunday, May 10, 2026. (AP Photo/Joan Monfort)AP
A midfielder who helped Spain win an Olympic gold medal in 2024 will likely miss the World Cup.
FC Barcelona announced Monday morning that Fermín López suffered a fracture to the fifth metatarsal bone in his right foot during the team’s match against Betis.
López will undergo surgery and a timetable for his return is not yet known.
Related: How attending a World Cup match in Foxborough can quickly cost $1,000
Spain plays its first World Cup match on Monday, June 15 when it faces Cape Verde.
The 23-year-old midfielder participated on the Spanish team that won both the 2024 European Championship and the Olympics in Paris. During the Olympics, López scored six goals — two of which came in the championship match against France.
Meredith Perri is the managing producer of sports at MassLive, working with the Red Sox beat, the Patriots beat and the sports desk. She is a 2014 graduate of Boston University, an alumna of the APSE Fellowship… more