Real Madrid have confirmed centre back Eder Militao will be out for three to four months after scans revealed a serious muscle tear in his left leg, piling fresh misery onto a defence already stretched to breaking point. The Brazilian pulled up just 20 minutes into Sunday’s defeat to Celta Vigo and left the pitch in tears, knowing straight away something wasn’t right.
The club released a medical statement on Monday confirming a tear in the biceps femoris, plus damage to the proximal tendon, which normally means a lengthy spell in the treatment room. Madrid staff are privately admitting the recovery could drag closer to four months than three, which would effectively wipe out most of his season and possibly impact the Champions League knockout rounds, assuming Madrid are still alive by then.
It couldn’t have come at a worse time for Militao, who’s barely had a clean run of matches in the last two years. He has battled niggles, setbacks and long absences, and had only just got himself back into the XI with the bit between his teeth. The moment itself was grim, he chased down Pablo Duran in a foot race, stretched to clear the danger, then instantly grimaced and dropped to the turf, waving for help before anyone even reached him.
Medical staff tried to help him walk but he was unable to put weight on the leg, and was practically carried off the pitch, head down, knowing the score. Teammates didn’t look much better, as it was already obvious Madrid was losing far more than just one substitute. Losing your fastest defender in a league that lives off transitions is brutal.
The injury also capped a chaotic evening where Real Madrid finished with nine men after Fran Garcia and Alvaro Carreras was sent off. Xabi Alonso was left cobbling together a backline from whoever still had functioning limbs, which probably explains why Celta Vigo carved them apart.
Militao’s absence will force Madrid back into improvised defending for weeks on end, with Antonio Rudiger carrying most of the burden. January could see the club dip into the market, although Real rarely panic buy mid season. Fixtures don’t get easier either, with a crunch Champions League tie looming and the title race already slipping away.
