Marc Casadó breaks collarbone against Betis, undergoes surgery

The sound says it all. That's how the orthopedic surgeon who operated on Marc Casadó explained it: when something breaks, the body doesn't lie. And that's exactly what the midfielder felt last Sunday during the match against Betis, still lying on the grass, waving toward the bench to signal that something was seriously wrong.

The play itself was nothing dramatic or violent. Casadó fell on his right shoulder in a collision with Pablo Fornals and had to leave the field after half an hour of play. Right there, wincing in pain, he said the words that already hinted at the diagnosis:

I broke itMarc Casadó

Deportivo later confirmed what everyone feared: a fracture of the right collarbone. The club had already operated on him, successfully, according to the official statement: "Marc Casadó underwent surgery at Hospital HM Modelo in A Coruña performed by orthopedic surgeon Rafael Arriaza for a fracture of his right collarbone." The statement added a note that sounds like both a warning and a promise: "His recovery process will determine his return to competition."

So what does the surgeon who operated on him have to say? Rafael Arriaza struck an optimistic tone about the recovery, though he cautioned against rushing things. He explained that this type of surgery "heals well" and estimated that the player could begin working with a ball in about six weeks. As for the exact moment of the injury, he was just as direct as his patient had been: "The sound doesn't lie to you. You know you've broken something when you hear it."

A setback just as he was finding his footing

The news comes at a rough time for Casadó, who arrived in A Coruña in the final hours of the transfer window on loan from FC Barcelona. The midfielder had been earning his spot little by little: he made his LaLiga debut in matchday four against Villarreal, and had started in two of the last three matches since then. Now all of that comes to a halt. According to local outlets that cover Deportivo closely, Casadó could miss between 2 and 3 months of action, a layoff that would also rule him out of the league match against Barcelona, the very club he belongs to.

While Casadó goes under the knife and starts his recovery clock, another player with a Barcelona past is experiencing the exact opposite kind of season in A Coruña. That's Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang, who after a stint in the French league is once again showing his best form in Spanish soccer: 5 goals and two assists through the first seven matchdays. Two very different stories from the same locker room, separated by one unlucky play and a sound that, according to those who've heard it, leaves no room for doubt.