William Saliba was forced to leave the pitch during the semi-final of the World Cup against Spain, betrayed by chronic back pain. “I can’t take it anymore, my back is ruined,” confessed the Arsenal defender to Dayot Upamecano, moments before being substituted in the 30th minute of the 0-2 defeat to Spain. At 25 years old, the French international saw his participation in the World Cup come to an abrupt end after six weeks of playing with the aid of strong painkillers and sheer courage. Saliba’s situation is not new. The player has been dealing with chronic back pain for several months, managing the condition with a very light training program, which included, for example, skipping recovery sessions the day after matches. The coaching staff of the French national team followed the same protocols as his club, Arsenal, with which he won the Premier League in 2025/26. Despite a prediction from a family member stating that Saliba “would go all the way, despite the pain,” the intensity of Tuesday’s game proved to be too high. Just like in the Champions League final against PSG, where he felt the first pains five minutes in but managed to endure the rest of the match, complaints arose very early against Spain. The stress and physical demands of a high-level game, especially during high-intensity runs, likely exacerbated the feeling of blockage. During the match, particularly at the time of the Spanish penalty in the 20th minute, Saliba attempted to stretch, but to no avail. The player’s short-term future is in jeopardy. Similar to what happened with Samuel Umtiti and his knee in 2018, Saliba took significant risks. He is, of course, out of the third-place match in Miami on Saturday, but he will have to make important decisions soon. Additional tests are scheduled to assess the extent of the problem, and although nothing has been decided yet, surgery appears to be the most likely scenario, which would keep the player off the pitch for several months. Sources from Arsenal have already acknowledged, in informal conversations with the French national team’s medical department, a layoff of four to five months, which would leave the imposing center-back out of Mikel Arteta’s options until 2027.
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