Real Madrid Given Yet Another Injury Setback

Madrid—Less than 24 hours after a demoralising 1-0 home defeat to Getafe left Real Madrid’s La Liga hopes flickering, the club received confirmation that forward Rodrygo has suffered a devastating setback: a ruptured anterior cruciate ligament and a torn lateral meniscus in his right knee.

Rodrygo, 25, had only just returned to the match-day squad after a previous lay-off, appearing as a second-half substitute on Monday night. The injury occurred during that cameo, and the club’s medical bulletin on Tuesday left no room for optimism. If the projected ten-month recovery timeline reported by journalist Arancha Rodríguez proves accurate, Rodrygo’s entire 2026 calendar is effectively over, ruling him out of this summer’s World Cup—an especially cruel blow in a tournament year for which he was understood to have a guaranteed place under former Madrid coach Carlo Ancelotti.

The personal anguish for the Brazilian is stark, yet the timing is equally problematic for Alvaro Arbeloa’s depleted squad. Franco Mastantuono’s red card against Getafe triggers a suspension, while Kylian Mbappé remains sidelined. With Jude Bellingham also nursing an injury, options across the forward line have thinned dramatically.

Possible reshuffles include shifting Federico Valverde to the right flank, a role he has occupied recently, or handing Arda Güler a wide starting berth—though questions persist over the Turk’s natural pace for the position. Brahim Díaz, fresh from an underwhelming Africa Cup of Nations campaign, could now be handed an extended run to rediscover form.

Whatever permutation Arbeloa selects, the depth crisis is impossible to ignore. Madrid’s medical staff will monitor Rodrygo’s rehabilitation closely, but for now the immediate future looks precarious for a side already struggling for consistency.