Raúl Zúñiga undergoes knee surgery, will miss much of América's Apertura 2026

A knee injury can change anyone's plans, and that's exactly what happened to Raúl Zúñiga. The Colombian forward went under the knife this Wednesday and now faces a recovery process that will keep him out of a significant chunk of the Apertura 2026 regular season.

The club confirmed that Zúñiga suffered a cartilage injury in the medial condyle, a sensitive area of the knee, and that the surgery went smoothly. Club América explained the situation in an official statement:

Club América reports that Raúl Zúñiga suffered a cartilage injury in the medial condyle, which was treated with a successful surgical procedure.Club América

Now comes the uncertain part: the timeline. Sources consulted by ESPN estimate a recovery window of six to nine weeks, a range that leaves open the possibility of the Colombian returning right in time for the final stretch of the tournament. The regular season wraps up between November 20 and 22, when América is scheduled to face Tigres. If rehab goes well, that match could mark Zúñiga's return to the field.

In the meantime, Guillermo Almada's squad is moving forward without him. And it's working out just fine: América sits atop the standings with 13 points, a solid start that, ironically, has been built without relying on the Colombian striker.

A future already in question

The injury comes at a particular moment for Zúñiga, since his future at the club was already uncertain before the surgery. América had been looking to move the forward, who didn't fit into Almada's plans. In fact, the Uruguayan coach only called him up for the season opener against Querétaro, and didn't even bring him off the bench. After that match, he stopped appearing in the squad lists altogether.

It's worth remembering how Zúñiga arrived at Coapa: he was the league's top scorer with Xolos de Tijuana before joining América in a transfer worth close to 5,000,000.00 dollars. Since then he has played 37 matches and scored 5 goals, numbers that fell short of the expectations his arrival generated. His last match came on April 25 against Atlas, where he managed just three minutes on the field, and his most recent goal dates back to February 20 against Puebla.

Now, with the surgery behind him, the Colombian will have to focus on rehabilitation. His return, if it comes before the season ends, could also be a chance to rewrite, even if only a little, the story of his time at América.