Alaba and Mendy K.O., Seriously Injured: When Will They Play Again for Real Madrid

One of the most recent surprises regarding Real Madrid, aside from everything happening with Carlo Ancelotti and his professional future, is the injury of David Alaba. The Austrian '4' seemed to have returned definitively after a very long injury to his right knee:  he tore the anterior cruciate ligament with meniscus involvement in that same joint.

But his performance since then has raised some eyebrows among Madridists. Because the European footballer doesn't seem prepared to meet the competitive demands that Real Madrid requires, at least not in the realm of their key footballers. That trend has been confirmed with the official medical report published by the club last night.

According to that official statement, David Alaba suffers from "a tear of the internal meniscus of the left knee". This significant ailment, always "pending evolution" according to comments from the Valdebebas offices, would sideline the Austrian for six to eight weeks. This ailment occurs at the same time as the medical absence of Ferland Mendy, who rushed to be available for the Copa del Rey final against FC Barcelona.

The French '23' was injured in the return leg of the Champions League round of 16 against Atlético de Madrid, at the Riyahd Air Metropolitano. Since that match, he had been working tirelessly to recover, lightly training at Ciudad Real Madrid, testing himself for a possible appearance on the field at La Cartuja. Finally, Carlo Ancelotti gave the green light and placed him as a starter in the third Clásico of the season.

Critical Situation

But the barely eight minutes he lasted in the Copa del Rey final showed that, evidently, he wasn't ready to receive medical clearance or competitive clearance. The discomfort obtained after going for a divided ball with Jules Koundé resulted in "a tear of the proximal tendon of the rectus femoris in the right quadriceps".

Again, that official statement from Real Madrid brings bad news. While it is true that the white club indicates that Ferland Mendy's injury remains "pending evolution", the French full-back could be out for approximately two and a half months. Therefore, he wouldn't be in time to play in the Club World Cup held in the United States starting on June 18, 2025.

This complicated situation with the defense, plagued by injuries and suffering from an unprecedented shortage of players, forces Carlo Ancelotti to reconfigure his starting eleven once again. The pair of center-backs will be composed of Raúl Asencio, the only healthy center-back left for Real Madrid, and a repositioned Aurélien Tchouaméni.

Meanwhile, Fran García is the only remaining footballer to cover the left-back position. The injury to Ferland Mendy adds to the unfortunate ailment that Eduardo Camavinga suffered during the match against Getafe, at the Coliseum. Thus, Carlo Ancelotti must face the end of his second stint as coach with very few players in defense once again.