Of the eight defenders that Real Madrid that started the season in their first team, three have at some point been recovering from knee surgery this season, namely David Alaba, Dani Carvajal and Eder Militao. A fourth may be about to join Carvajal and Militao in the stands.
Ferland Mendy went off after just eight minutes in the final, suffering a relapse of his hamstring injury. However Antonio Rudiger did make it through 111 minutes, into extra time, despite receiving heavy strapping late on. When he eventually was taken off for Endrick Felipe, Rudiger wsa nursing a heavy limp as he went off.
Carlo Ancelotti said of the German defender that he held out as long as he could, although he did find the strength to leap up at the referee and throw an ice cube at Ricardo de Burgos Bengoetxea in the final seconds, for which he earned a red card and later apologised. Based on the images, the most likely outcome is that he misses between 4 and 12 games through suspension, and with just five to go this season, he could be out for the remainder of the La Liga campaign.
However the 32-year-old could be out for the Club World Cup this summer too. As per Marca, Rudiger has been playing through injury for some time to help the team, and his meniscus has been damaged. He continued through extreme pain on Saturday night, but eventually had to come off as his knee gave up. He will now undergo tests on his meniscus, but there is a very real possibility he will need surgery, which would keep him out for at least three months.
It may well mean a return to the backline for Aurelien Tchouameni alongside Raul Asencio over the next two months. Jesus Vallejo is not a factor, and with Eder Militao still recovering from his cruciate ligament problem, Ancelotti, or whomever is in charge of the Club World Cup, may have to improvise once more. David Alaba’s status is not yet certain either.
