Ayoub El Kaabi Faces Long Layoff After Double Leg Fracture

Olympiacos have been dealt a brutal blow, with star striker Ayoub El Kaabi set for a long spell on the sidelines after suffering a serious leg injury in the Greek top flight.

The Moroccan international fractured both the tibia and fibula in his left leg late in the first half of Olympiacos’s 1-1 draw with Volos in the third round of the league, according to Greek outlet Sportal. The incident abruptly ended his night and, as it turns out, his season’s momentum.

He was taken for immediate medical assessment, and the diagnosis left no room for doubt: surgery was unavoidable.

The operation took place in Athens and was performed by Olympiacos doctor Christos Theos and his medical team. Sportal reported that the procedure was completed successfully, a crucial first step in what will be a long road back.

Greek website Sport 24 cited an official Olympiacos statement confirming the club’s chief doctor, Christos Theos, led the surgery at the B. Valeriou clinic, part of the Athens Medical Centre. The club stressed that everything went “smoothly” and that the post-surgery phase is unfolding according to the medical plan.

The next chapter starts immediately. Olympiacos have already begun El Kaabi’s rehabilitation programme, with the club underlining that the goal is a gradual, safe and ultimately full return to competitive action.

The timeline, though, is sobering.

Protothema reported that El Kaabi is expected to be out for six to seven months. That estimate underlines the seriousness of the fracture and the demands of the recovery process for a player who relies heavily on sharp movement and explosiveness in the box.

Protothema also noted that the exact length of his absence will hinge on how his body responds to treatment and rehab work. A clean operation is one thing; the grind of rebuilding strength and confidence in a damaged leg is another.

For Olympiacos, it means navigating a crucial stretch of the season without their main attacking reference point. For El Kaabi, it means a fight against the clock, against doubt, and against the unforgiving nature of serious injury.

The surgery is done. The plan is in place. Now the question hangs over Piraeus: how quickly can their No 9 make it all the way back?