Nigerian defender, Leon Balogun breaks hand, undergoes surgery

Nigeria powerful defender Leon Balogun has returned to the treatment room days after helping the Super Eagles beat South American giants Argentina 4-2 in Krasnodar in Russia on November 14.



His German Bundesliga club Mainz 05 confirmed on their official Twitter account on Sunday that the 29-year-old suffered a fracture to his left hand on Friday and had undergone surgery.

The former Werder Bremen player, who made his international debut in the 0-0 draw in a friendly game against Mexico in March 2014, missed Mainz’s league clash against Cologne at Opel Arena on Saturday. Mainz won 1-0.

Balogun on October 20 underwent an operation on his broken cheek bone after he was injured in his team’s 2-0 defeat by Schalke 04 in their Bundesliga clash at Veltins-Arena in Gelsenkirchen.

The development forced the former Darmstadt 98 star to wear a mask while playing for the O-Fives and the Eagles.

The German-born player’s partnership with Turkey-based William Troost-Ekong in the heart of Nigeria’s defence played a key role in getting Nigeria through to the Russia 2018 World Cup.

Mainz wrote on their Twitter handle on Sunday, “@LeonBalogun suffered a fracture to his left hand on Friday and has undergone surgery. Luckily, he will be able to carry on playing.

“Get well soon, Leon!”

According to reports in the German media, Balogun could return to the field in coming weeks to help Mainz, who are 12th in the Bundesliga table, move up the ladder before the Christmas break.