Third Real Madrid player in 24 hours confirmed to miss rest of La Liga season

Real Madrid have had a dreadful few days. They lost the Copa del Rey final on Saturday, and since then, three players have now been ruled out for the rest of the La Liga season, thus making it even more difficult for Carlo Ancelotti’s side to overhaul Barcelona in their bid to defend their title.

Earlier on Tuesday, it was confirmed that Antonio Rudiger had undergone surgery to solve his knee injury, and hours later, it was revealed that Ferland Mendy tore his hamstring during the Copa del Rey final defeat to Barcelona, which means that he will not play again until the start of the 2025-26 season.

And now Real Madrid have announced that David Alaba is the third Real Madrid player that has suffered a significant injury. In an official statement, they have revealed that the Austrian defender “has been diagnosed with a tear of the internal meniscus of his left knee”.

As per Marca, Alaba will need to undergo surgery to address the problem, and as a result, he will not play again before the domestic season comes to an end. However, both he and Real Madrid hope that he will be able to play in this summer’s Club World Cup, which is the same situation as Rudiger.

It is unclear when and how Alaba sustained the injury, but given that he was not involved against Barcelona, it is likely that it happened during training. It is a bitter blow for the 32-year-old, who only returned to action in January following a ruptured anterior cruciate ligament that he suffered back in December 2023.

Alaba’s injury leaves Real Madrid with even less options in defence for the final five matches of the La Liga season, one of which is against Barcelona. Fran Garcia is now the only left-back that Ancelotti has at his disposal, while Raul Asencio, Aurelien Tchouameni and Jesus Vallejo are the only senior players that can play at centre-back.