Thomas Lemar is unable to see the light at the end of the tunnel. The talented French midfielder, who suffered a serious Achilles tendon injury a year ago, is still unable to return to official competition. It was on September 16, 2023, in a match against Valencia at Mestalla, when fate played a dirty trick on him.
An injury much longer than expected
It was estimated that he would be out for between five and seven months, but a year later, Lemar has still not played a single minute in an official match. The French player had started that season as a starter, being an important part of Diego Pablo Simeone 's scheme in the games against Granada , Betis and Valencia . The Argentine continued to believe in the second most expensive signing in the history of the club, having paid 70 million euros for 70% of his rights.
Now, he has been overtaken by Julián Álvarez , but the expensive signing tag has continued to haunt Lemar throughout his time in Madrid . Since his arrival in 2018 from Monaco , where he was key in winning the Ligue 1 title, Lemar has been very inconsistent. Although he shone during the 2020/2021 season, when he was key in Atlético being crowned LaLiga champions, injuries and irregularity have marked the rest of his time at the red-and-white club.
Beyond that season, his contribution has been minimal, and his physical fragility has further complicated his continuity . The serious injury to his Achilles tendon was the final blow to his difficult career in Madrid. Although he returned to training at the end of last season, a new injury kept him out of the team.
A year later, Lemar has not played for a year
Despite being called up for the last two games of the campaign against Osasuna and Real Sociedad , he never got to step onto the pitch. During preseason, Lemar seemed to be taking centre stage again, starting in some friendlies, but then he disappeared from the squad. The situation became more complicated when he was not called up for the first four matchdays of LaLiga 2024/2025 .
Atlético de Madrid tried to find a way out for him during the summer transfer market, but without success, partly due to his persistent physical problems. Meanwhile, Lemar has been absent from training in August due to physical discomfort, which adds further uncertainty to his future. With the international break in September, Thomas Lemar will have gone 12 months without playing an official match.
His situation is a mystery for Atlético fans, who were expecting much more. Cholo Simeone does not know when he will be able to count on him, and he is starting to get tired. So far, he has not been able to justify his price or his potential, we will see if he manages to turn the situation around in the coming months.