Hungary international Barnabas Varga has been pictured for the first time since suffering horrific facial injuries in a Euro 2024 clash with Scotland.
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Striker clattered when competing for high ballWas knocked unconscious & required lengthy treatmentHas undergone surgery & now on road to recoveryGettyWHAT HAPPENED?
The 29-year-old forward clattered into Angus Gunn during the second-half of that contest, with medical staff rushing onto the field from the moment that he hit the turf and lay rigid in the penalty area. Varga was knocked unconscious, with team-mates such as Dominik Szoboszlai left in some distress as they saw a close friend and colleague tended to.
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Varga was taken to hospital for treatment, with Gergely Panics – the team doctor of his club side Fenencvaros – revealing the full extent of the damage suffered. He told : “Barni suffered a concussion during the collision and lost consciousness. By the time he reached the ambulance, he had already regained consciousness, after which he was taken to the clinic in Stuttgart, where, after the examination, a therapeutic plan was drawn up, according to which he would be operated on. Our striker suffered multiple facial skull fractures, several smaller and larger bones were broken in his face, and some were even dislocated. After the operation, he will be kept in for two days. If everything goes well, he will be released on Wednesday.”
THE BIGGER PICTURE
Varga has now been visited in hospital by Hungarian team-mates and coaching staff, with the first images emerging of him looking battered and bruised. He had previously posted an update to concerned supporters through the social media account of partner Laura Skrapits that read: “Thank you for your kind, supportive messages. Barni is over the surgery. A little rest is waiting for him but he'll be fine!”
WHAT NEXT?
Varga has now given the thumbs-up to those monitoring his recovery from a scary situation, with it possible that he will be cleared to head home in a matter of hours. He will play no further part at Euro 2024, but Hungary are hoping that Kevin Csoboth’s 100th-minute goal against Scotland may yet see them through to the last-16.