Tottenham Hotspur and Netherlands midfielder Xavi Simons has confirmed that he will miss the rest of the season and this summer’s World Cup due to a torn anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) in his right knee.
Simons was taken off on a stretcher after appearing to jar his knee around an hour into Tottenham’s 1-0 win at Wolverhampton Wanderers on Saturday – their first in the Premier League since December 28.
The 22-year-old went down after colliding with Wolves’ Hugo Bueno while trying to keep the ball in play, and appeared in pain. He stood back up after receiving treatment but dropped to the floor again and then protested when Roberto De Zerbi, the Spurs head coach, substituted him for match-winner Joao Palhinha. He was then carried off the pitch.
Tottenham confirmed the injury in post on social media on Monday. Simons is the fourth Spurs player to suffer an ACL tear in the last two seasons. James Maddison sustained the injury during pre-season in August, Wilson Odobert tore his ACL in February, while Radu Dragusin ruptured the ligament in February 2025.
We can confirm that Xavi Simons has ruptured the Anterior Cruciate Ligament (ACL) in his right knee.
The 23-year-old suffered the injury during the second half of our Premier League fixture at Wolverhampton Wanderers on Saturday.
Xavi will undergo surgery in the coming weeks… pic.twitter.com/FUEf5VrZnx
— Tottenham Hotspur (@SpursOfficial) April 27, 2026
In a post on Instagram, Simons confirmed that his season was over and he would miss out on the opportunity to represent the Netherlands in North America this summer.
“They say life can be cruel and today it feels that way,” he wrote. “My season has come to an abrupt end and I’m just trying to process it. Honestly, I’m heartbroken. None of it makes sense.
“All I’ve wanted to do is fight for my team and now the ability to do that has been snatched away from me … along with the World Cup. Representing my country this summer … just gone. It’ll take time to find peace with this, but I’ll continue to be the best teammate I can be. I have no doubt that together we’ll win this fight.”
Spurs have been desperately short of creativity this season, with both Dejan Kulusevski and Maddison yet to feature this term because of knee injuries of their own. Kulusevski, the Sweden forward, is targeting a return at the World Cup following two surgeries on his patella, while Maddison has been back on the bench for the last two matches following his injury – although De Zerbi said he was included in the squad largely for his leadership qualities and is still not fully fit.
Simons joined Spurs from RB Leipzig in a deal worth €60million (£51.8m; $70m) in the summer, agreeing a five-year deal. He has made 41 appearances this season, scoring five times.
He has been capped 34 times by the Netherlands, scoring six goals. His only previous World Cup appearance came as a substitute in a 3-1 win in the round of 16 over the United States in Qatar in 2022.
‘Simons will be sorely missed’
Analysis by Tottenham Hotspur correspondent Jay Harris
Simons’ knee injury is a huge blow to Spurs’ chances of avoiding relegation. The Netherlands international has endured a bumpy debut season in north London. He took time to adapt to the Premier League after joining Spurs from RB Leipzig towards the end of last summer’s transfer window and was sent off against Liverpool in December when it looked like he had finally settled.
He has struggled to fully earn the trust of his head coaches. Igor Tudor left him out of the starting 11 for three games in a row while Roberto De Zerbi only brought him off the bench in the 85th minute in his first match in charge against Sunderland. Simons has provided a few moments of quality and inspiration though which Spurs will sorely miss in their final four league games. The best examples are his stunning goals against Atletico Madrid and Brighton & Hove Albion.
Spurs have found it difficult to create high-quality chances this season due to the long-term absences of James Maddison and Dejan Kulusevski. Simons is one of the only members of this squad capable of playing intricate passes which he demonstrated with a beautiful cross for Pedro Porro’s goal against Brighton. The 23-year-old has created 34 chances this season which is only behind Porro (42) despite only starting 19 games.
Simons has described his injury as “cruel” on social media and said that he is “heartbroken.” He will have to watch from the sidelines as Spurs attempt to avoid relegation and the Netherlands try to win the World Cup for the first time. He was due to play a much more prominent role this summer under Ronald Koeman who started him in five of their six games at the European Championships in 2024. Depending on the severity of the injury, Simons could miss a significant portion of next season too.