Brazilian Real Madrid Star Set to Miss the Rest of the Season and the 2026 World Cup
Real Madrid have been hit with an injury crisis, and it has shown in their last two performances. They lost their past two La Liga matches to Osasuna, 2-1, and Getafe, 1-0. The club confirmed on March 3rd that their injury crisis has gotten worse with Rodrygo sustaining a torn ACL and a rupture in his lateral meniscus. All of these injuries are sustained in his right knee. The 25-year-old striker was subbed onto the pitch in the 54th minute to find an equalizer in the Getafe match. This would be his first match since recovering from a month-long muscle injury. His return to soccer would be damaged as a Getafe player tackled him in the 66th minute, only 12 minutes after coming back onto the pitch for the first time in a month. He was able to complete the match, but needed testing done afterwards to determine the severity of the injury.
Both Real Madrid and the Brazil National Team issued statements about Rodrygo’s injury. Real Madrid confirmed that their player will be out for 12 months, with the World Cup only 100 days away. He is expected to undergo surgery in the next few days. The recent injury to Rodyrgo will significantly hurt Real Madrid’s entire La Liga campaign, as they are in a title race with FC Barcelona. Currently, the two teams have a four-point gap between them with 12 matches to play for the rest of the season. Real Madrid is also in the knock-out rounds of the Champions League. They have to play Manchester City in the two legs of the Round of 16. The Brazilian’s injury is a blow to their offensive line. His injury exacerbates the lack of healthy offensive players, with Kylian Mbappé being out with a knee injury; however, the Frenchman is not as aggravated and will most likely return in late March.
The Brazilian National Team will also feel the absence of Rodrygo’s explosive and dynamic play. He will not get the chance to redeem himself in the 2026 World Cup as his penalty was saved in the shoot-out with Croatia, leading to Brazil’s elimination in the quarterfinals. He appeared in all five matches for Brazil during the 2022 World Cup. Now, Carlo Ancelotti will have to rethink his potential starting lineup. The Italian coach and the injured Brazilian previously worked together at Real Madrid. Rodrygo’s injury directly affects both of his teams as he brings goals, assists, and pace to the games. His absence will be noticed as Real Madrid must fight against Manchester City in the Champions League knockout stages and try to overcome Barcelona in the La Liga table. Meanwhile, the Brazilian will not be involved with his country’s campaign to add another World Cup Trophy to their record of five total World Cup Tournament wins, the country with the most trophies.
