Barcelona's Villa has 'slim' hope for this season

Barcelona striker David Villa has only a slim chance of playing for Barcelona again this season and could also miss the 2012 European Championship after undergoing surgery on his broken leg Monday.

One of the doctors who performed the operation says the 30-year-old Spain star would be sidelined for four to five months. Dr. Ramon Cugat says his return is unlikely but "cannot be ruled out."

Defending champion Spain will open its Euro 2012 campaign against Italy on June 10 and could be without its all-time leading scorer.

Villa was hurt during Barcelona's semifinal win over Al Sadd at the Club World Cup on Thursday.