Argentina forward left paralysed in face following virus weeks after suffering freak skateboarding injury

Only a few months back, Ocampos suffered a freak skateboarding injury on his way to help one of his daughters, who had an accident during a horse riding class. The winger lost control of his skateboard and hit the asphalt, which led to him sustaining a wrist fracture and facial trauma that kept him out for two months.

This time, Ocampos caught a virus, which caused partial paralysis on his face. The Monterrey star shared the new on a social media post, where he shared his image with a patch on his left eye. In the caption, the 31-year-old wrote: "January will be better".

Ocampos' current club Monterrey released a statement confirming the condition of the player as it read: "The Monterrey Football Club reports that the player Lucas Ocampos presented a facial paralysis of the left hemicara, of probable viral etiology. The soccer player was evaluated by a specialist to regulate the therapeutic behaviour."

The Mexican club further claimed that the player will now have to rest for at least a week before further re-evaluation of his situation. 

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Back in 2024, during his time at Sevilla, Ocampos faced a case of fan harassment during one of Sevilla's La Liga clashes against Rayo Vallecano. Ocampos was preparing to take a throw-in when a fan reached out and poked him. The game was paused as the winger alerted the referee and the national police soon got involved. The Spanish government’s anti-violence commission has since given the young supporter a €6,000 (£5,100/$6,400) fine and a one-year suspension from stadiums in the country.

The anti-violence commission later said in a statement: "This serious incident against the integrity of the visiting team’s player caused the match to be stopped for several minutes. After what happened, the spectator and his friends displayed a joking and defiant attitude towards the player’s protests."

In his 14-year-long professional career thus far, Ocampos suffered multiple injury problems with his knees, ankle and hamstring. As per The Sun, the paralysis of his face is not connected to the injury he suffered due to the accident. Monterrey would hope that their star player recovers quickly and take the field for the club. At the Mexican club, Ocampos has scored seven goals and provided ten assists in 51 appearances across all competitions.