Real Madrid Hero Injured!
The scorer of the fantastic goal that gave the white team the victory had to be substituted due to muscular problems in his right calf.
Brahim Díaz will find out this Thursday, after early morning medical tests at the Ciudad Real Madrid, the exact extent of his injury to his right calf that prevented him from finishing the Champions League match against Leipzig, where he sealed the victory, making him a serious doubt for Sunday's league commitment in Vallecas.
The string of injuries that Real Madrid is experiencing in a season that began with two cruciate ligament ruptures, Thibaut Courtois and Èder Militao, and has not stopped leaving important absences for Carlo Ancelotti, raised concerns when Brahim came to an abrupt stop at the 84th minute at the RB Arena.
Real Madrid secures its first victory (0-1) in the match against RB Leipzig in the UEFA Champions League round of 16 and goes with an advantage to the Santiago Bernabéu in search of their passage to the next round.
Although Brahim's initial impression is that the pain was due to a blow and muscular overload, caution prevails at the white club before the tests. The player is uncertain for the next league match, and if there is a muscular injury, he could be sidelined for several weeks.
It will be known on Thursday, after a day of rest and recuperation for Brahim, who was a key player in Real Madrid's seventh consecutive victory in the Champions League, with his goal and the game that confirmed him as the best option to replace the Englishman Jude Bellingham.
The game in Germany, in the first leg of the Champions League round of 16, was Brahim's twelfth start, having participated in 28 matches since his return to Real Madrid and scoring eight goals.
His growth in the team has been notable after a start to the season where he lacked minutes. He did not enjoy his first start until late, celebrating it with a goal against Las Palmas, and since November, he has found the continuity demanded by Carlo Ancelotti.
His performance has been closely monitored by Luis de la Fuente, the Spanish national team coach, who plans to call up Brahim in the final squad before the Euro 2024 tournament. The Spanish Football Federation is also awaiting the results of the tests that the Malaga-born player will undergo, who could make his debut as a Spanish international against Colombia or Brazil at the end of March.
For now, everything indicates that Brahim will have to take a few days off and be absent in Vallecas on Sunday, where Ancelotti will also not be able to count on long-term injured players - Courtois, Militao, and David Alaba - nor on Bellingham, Antonio Rüdiger, or Ferland Mendy, the latter due to suspension.