Injury issues are already piling up for Real Madrid. While the 2024/25 season only just started, the Spanish giants could soon be without up to nine players going forward. After collecting the LaLiga title in May, Los Blancos have begun the current campaign with mixed results.
They are unbeaten so far in league play but have picked up surprising draws against Mallorca and Las Palmas. Both clubs finished just outside of the relegation zone last year. The slow start can partially be attributed to new star signing Kylian Mbappe getting used to his teammates. Mbappe recently joined Real from Paris Saint-Germain. After going scoreless in his first three LaLiga fixtures, the Frenchman netted a brace against Real Betis.
Nevertheless, the club has also been without several key players. Standout duo David Alaba and Eduardo Camavinga have yet to feature for the club at all so far in the early stages of the 2024/25 season.
Superstar Jude Bellingham also suffered a muscular setback in Real’s opening Spanish top-flight match. Fellow midfielder Dani Ceballos then picked up a nasty ankle injury in the aforementioned Betis fixture as well. The Spaniard could miss up to eight weeks because of the issue.
To make matters worse, multiple Real players are now dealing with the injury bug while on international duty. French duo Ferland Mendy and Aurélien Tchouaméni both recently departed the France setup with issues. The defender is reportedly dealing with muscle fatigue, while the midfielder withdrew due to a foot problem.
On top of this, Eder Militao has now suffered a muscle injury while training with Brazil. The center-back will miss both of his national team’s upcoming games. It remains to be seen just how long he will remain on the sidelines at Real. However, the defender is already en route back to Madrid so the club can review the issue.
Central defense could very well become a problem area for Real manager Carlo Ancelotti. With Alaba out indefinitely, Militao now on the sidelines and veteran Joan Martinez also missing time, Antonio Rudiger could be the only healthy senior center-back in the squad at the moment. The German, however, is also reportedly dealing with minor discomfort.
Teen prospect Jacobo Ramon would likely step up in the position amid the injury crisis. Nevertheless, the youngster also recently suffered a setback. Fellow highly-rated defender Joan Martinez is already on the sideline with a serious ACL injury as well and is not expected to return until 2025.
The recent news means that Real will likely be without many key senior players following the international break. Various injuries are never fun for a club to deal with, but the problems are even worse considering Real’s upcoming schedule.
The team is playing three matches in the first eight days after the international break. In total, they must face seven opponents in just three weeks between Sep. 14 and Oct. 6.
Real, however, has managed injuries quite well in the recent past. For instance, Carlo Ancelotti dealt with a series of setbacks from key players to lift the most recent LaLiga title. Not only did Los Blancos weather the storm last season, but they dominated their Spanish opposition. Real only lost one total league game throughout the 2023/24 season. Fans will be hoping for similar resilience looking ahead.
PHOTOS: IMAGO.
