Footballer Erik Lamela's season ends early after hip injury
Tottenham's Argentine mid-fielder Erik Lamela confirmed that he will be out of the remaining season due to a hip injury. He has not played since October last year. 25-year old Lamela tweeted that he will be undergoing a surgery this Saturday. The club in a statement said that Lamela will be returning with the team next season.
Who is Erik Lamela aka Coco?
Erik Manuel Lamela is a footballer from Argentina born on 4 March 1992. He joined Club Atlético River Plate in Buenos Aires when he was seven years old. He was in news in 2004 when he scored 120 goals for River Plate's youth side. He made his senior debut for River Plate on 14 June 2009 against Tigre.
Lamela offered a similar deal as Messi by Barcelona?
Reportedly, Spanish giants FC Barcelona had offered Erik Lamela a deal similar to Lionel Messi's when he was 12-years old. They offered Lamela's parents jobs, a home and a cash settlement in order to bring him to Camp Nou, but Lamela chose to reject it.
Lamela's senior football career
Lamela played for River Plate's senior football team from 2009 to 2011, where he appeared for 36 games, scoring four goals. The attacking midfielder then had a two-year stint with Italian club Roma, before joining Tottenham Hotspur in 2013. Since then, Erik has represented the club for 85 matches. In 2015-16, he scored the first hat-trick of his career against Monaco in Europa League.
Erik Lamela's international career
Erik made his international debut for the Argentine U-20 team at the 2011 FIFA U-20 World Cup and ended up scoring three goals in four matches. He played for the senior national team in May 2011, but his first international goal came in September 2014 against Germany. He was part of the Argentina team who were Copa America runners-up in 2015 and 2016.
