Official Athletic Bilbao Statement: Unai Simón Successfully Undergoes Right Wrist Surgery; Expected Absence of 4 to 5 Months

On July 19, Athletic Bilbao announced on their official social media that Spanish international goalkeeper Unai Simón had successfully undergone surgery on his right wrist. It is reported that the surgery was very successful, with an estimated recovery time of 4 to 5 months.

The head of Athletic Bilbao’s medical team, Lezkua, described the operation as “very successful” and predicted the player would be out for “several months.” Alongside the club’s official statement, the orthopedic surgeon who operated on Unai Simón, Francisco Pinal, appeared on a program called El Larguero hosted by SER Radio, detailing lesser-known aspects of Simón’s injury and the events surrounding the surgery.

In terms of the most pressing concern for fans – the period of inactivity – Pinal stated, “Simón will be out for 4 to 5 months because it takes two months to stabilize the wrist, which is necessary for the ligaments to grow.” However, Pinal did not rule out an earlier return, although he leaned towards avoiding any rush. He said, “These players are like bullfighters; while they recover faster than the average person due to their status as top athletes, one must still consider the objective laws of human physiology. The ligaments need sufficient time to heal, and overuse can lead to a recurrence of the injury.”

Pinal also shared the story of how Simón played through the pain to fulfill his dream of participating in the Euros, saying, “Simón has been dealing with this injury for some time. When I first saw him several months ago, he was already experiencing discomfort in his wrist. He has been receiving injections and had limitations in terms of both pain and function. This was an issue that needed addressing, and we initially planned to operate at the end of the season. However, due to the urgency of the Euros, he continued playing until they won the title.”