Barcelona star limps out of Valencia clash | OneFootball

A key member of the defensive ranks at La Liga giants Barcelona was forced into a premature departure from the club’s La Liga opener on Saturday night.

The player in question? Alejandro Balde.

Stopper Balde was for his part thrown back in from the off this evening, in his customary role at left-back.

And his contributions, in the Spaniard’s first appearance since all the way back in January, proved of an altogether impressive standard.

In turn, it marked a heavy blow for club and player alike when, on the hour mark, Balde was left with no choice but to limp out of the action.

After going to ground clutching his hamstring during the first-half at Mestalla, the 20-year-old appeared to have shaken the problem off following a check from the Barcelona medical staff.

However, after the issue flared back up on the other side of the interval, the decision was made to haul Balde off.

It remains to be seen if the defender is in line for any kind of extended spell on the sidelines, with an update on his wellbeing likely to be forthcoming post-match.

Conor Laird | GSFN