FCBARCELONA.CAT

09.09.2009 11:25

Iniesta back after 100 day absence

www.fcbarcelona.cat

Andrés Iniesta was given the medical all-clear on Wednesday after being sidelined since the Champions League final in Rome against Manchester United.

He’s back. The FC Barcelona Medical Services have said Iniesta is free for selection in Saturday’s game with Getafe, the second of Barça’s league campaign.

Nightmare starts against Villarreal

The story of his injury goes back to before the Champions League final, and to the final moments of the home fixture with Villarreal on May 10. Two centimetres of Iniesta’s right thigh muscle were torn, throwing his presence in the Rome showdown 17 days later into doubt.

In and out

The club doctors managed to get him ready in time to play, but the injury returned, and this time it was expected to take him eight weeks to get back into condition – more or less in time to start the new season.

Further setback

But things took an unexpected turn for the worse. On July 27, it was revealed that the player had a viral infection, and his return to action was therefore going to be slower than had originally been hoped. Over the last few weeks he has gradually been getting back into a normal training routine.

And now, 102 days after the Rome final, Iniesta can feel like a true footballer once again.