FORMER Tottenham star Erik Lamela hopes for a “pain-free life” after being fitted with a metal hip aged 34.

Serious hip issues usually affect older age groups but Lamela was plagued by the problem and used to load up on painkillers before games.

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Erik Lamela has posted a positive health update Credit: x.com/ErikLamela

The Argentine has been fitted with a metal hip Credit: x.com/ErikLamela

The Argentine played through cartilage wear and advanced osteoarthritis before retiring in 2025.

It was an unfortunate end to a career that brought individual and team accolades, but Lamela has now shared a positive health update on social media

He wrote on X: “A bit sore but with my new hip, let’s hope this prosthesis is the start of a pain-free life.

“A greeting to everyone, thanks to those who always write!”

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The message was accompanied by a short video of Lamela’s bandaged-up leg, an X-ray snap of his new hip, and a picture of the ex-winger in his hospital bed.

Lamela learned his trade at River Plate and Roma before joining Tottenham in a deal worth £25.7million in 2013.

He arrived in the same window that Spurs sold Gareth Bale to Real Madrid for a world-record fee.

And while fellow wide man Lamela was not as productive as Bale, he still endeared himself to Tottenham fans with his tireless running and catalogue of memorable moments.

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Lamela posted his bandaged-up leg on social media Credit: x.com/ErikLamela

Lamela scored 37 goals in 257 games for Spurs Credit: Reuters

He won the Puskas Award for his rabona against Arsenal in 2021 Credit: PA

He scored a 20-yard rabona in the Europa League in 2014 and won the Puskas Award for scoring another rabona in the North London Derby seven years later.

After over 250 Tottenham games and late-career spells at Sevilla and AEK Athens, Lamela returned to Sevilla as a coach after hanging up his boots.

He said: “I wanted to finish my career in the best possible way, enjoying it as much as possible despite this problem, which was quite difficult.

“The last few years were much more serious in the sense that my hip was increasingly affected and I could no longer train like before.”