Lightning struck twice for Arsenal, with the Netherlands striker suffering the same terrible knee injury as her partner Beth Mead. Vivianne Miedema feels “gutted” to have torn her ACL.
The WSL’s all-time leading scorer, according to Arsenal and Miedema, will be out for a “extended” period of time, just like Mead, who suffered the same injury in November, according to the club.
Both may now be unable to attend the Women’s World Cup, which will be held in July and August of 2019 in Australia and New Zealand.
Four days after the injury in a European match with Lyon, Miedema seems to have written herself off for that competition.
She said: “It was one of those moments, where I knew straight away. So many things going through your head: I won’t be able to help my team anymore this season, no World Cup, surgery and rehab for a long time.”
She expects “plenty of difficult days” and said there had already been tears.
💔🤕🩼
Gutted to share I’ve ruptured my ACL.
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PS. I can’t wait to boss around @bmeado9 this time, at least we’ve still got two decent ACL’s between us 🩼😅 pic.twitter.com/E52GAQP1GI
— Vivianne Miedema (@VivianneMiedema) December 19, 2022
The anterior cruciate ligament injury is one that requires surgery and a long recovery period, and Arsenal’s hopes in this season’s Women’s Super League and Women’s Champions League have taken a fresh hit with the loss of Miedema so soon after Mead’s setback.
Mead posted a message of support to her 26-year-old girlfriend and team-mate, saying: “STRONGER TOGETHER! I was given sympathy for 3 weeks and now she has to go get some of her own but we got this, YOU got this.”
England international Mead joked that there would be “two new signings incoming”, but the jollity masks a bitter reality for Arsenal, both players, and their national teams.
Arsenal said in a statement: “We can confirm that Vivianne Miedema suffered a ruptured anterior cruciate ligament during our UEFA Women’s Champions League match against Lyon at Emirates Stadium on Thursday.
“Viv will undergo surgery in the coming days and will unfortunately be ruled out for an extended period of time. A more detailed timescale will be established once the operation is complete.
“Everyone at Arsenal wishes Viv well in her recovery and will be providing her with all the support she needs to return to action as soon as possible.”