Bordeaux forward Alberth Elis is currently in a medically induced coma in the hospital after sustaining a severe head injury in a collision with an opponent.
The club officially confirmed on Sunday that Elis underwent surgery following the incident during the match against Guingamp on Saturday. The French Ligue 2 game was paused for eight minutes when the 28-year-old collided heads with defender Donatien Gomis just 40 seconds into the match.
Bordeaux has refrained from providing details on Elis’ prognosis, describing it as “impossible” to comment on at this time.
“We warmly thank all those who have shown their support for Alberth and those close to him, in particular the clubs across France,” stated Bordeaux president Gerard Lopez. “Your words warm our hearts and are a great strength in the fight that Alberth is waging.”
Despite the collision, Gomis continued to play for the remainder of the match. Reflecting on the incident, Gomis mentioned, “I think he [Elis] hits the ball first, I hit him. For a second, I was also in a daze. He lost consciousness. I hope he gets better.”
Alberth Elis, who has earned 64 caps for Honduras with 13 goals, moved to Europe after three years with Major League Soccer (MLS) club Houston Dynamo. He joined Boavista in Portugal before signing with Bordeaux in 2021, where he has scored 15 goals in 60 appearances.