Injury Curse Still Haunts Real Madrid
Injuries continue to plague Real Madrid, with over 2,000 days of collective absences in their defensive line across the past three seasons.
Another Blow After Copa del Rey Defeat
The Copa del Rey final loss against Barcelona (2-3 in extra time) brought more than just emotional disappointment for Real Madrid. The already concerning injury crisis deepened with new absences in the backline. The latest setback came with Antonio Rüdiger, who announced he would undergo knee surgery to address a meniscus issue he had been dealing with for seven months.
Just hours later, the club confirmed that Ferland Mendy would be sidelined for 10 to 12 weeks, and David Alaba had suffered another setback in his left knee—the same one in which he tore his ACL in December 2023. They joined a growing injury list that already included Dani Carvajal, Éder Militão, and Eduardo Camavinga, who was recently ruled out due to a complete adductor tendon rupture.
A Three-Year Physical Nightmare
According to Marca, in the past three seasons, a total of 55 injuries have been recorded among 10 different Real Madrid defenders, amounting to a staggering 2,005 missed days.
The hardest-hit player has been David Alaba, who since joining from Bayern Munich in 2021, has sustained seven injuries and missed 520 days. He is followed by Éder Militão, who has suffered six injuries for a total of 444 missed days, and Ferland Mendy, who leads in number of injuries with nine, resulting in 348 days out.
Others on the list include Dani Carvajal, Antonio Rüdiger, Lucas Vázquez, Jesús Vallejo, Álvaro Odriozola, Nacho, and Fran García, all of whom have spent significant time off the pitch.
As a result, head coach Carlo Ancelotti has been forced to use 27 different defenders in 57 matches this season—17 of whom are no longer part of the squad. Currently, he has only one professional defender available: Raúl Asencio, an alarming scenario for a team entering the final stretch of the LaLiga campaign.
Notably, these figures don’t even include Thibaut Courtois, who missed most of last season. With so many issues piling up, both the coaching staff and medical team will need to conduct a thorough evaluation of their approach to fitness and injury prevention if they hope to end this ongoing curse.
