The World Cup dream is over for Éder Militão. After a consultation in Finland on Tuesday morning, the severity of his left thigh injury was confirmed, and the Real Madrid defender will undergo surgery today to correct the issue. The expectation is that he will only return to the pitch in October.
Militão suffered the muscle injury a week ago during Real Madrid’s La Liga victory over Alavés at the Santiago Bernabéu. When he was substituted at the end of the first half, the initial impression was that the problem was not serious, but the diagnosis gradually worsened over the following days.
Due to the nature of the injury, a precise assessment was not possible initially. Real Madrid had already expressed pessimism given the recurrence of the injury site, which had sidelined the defender for four months between December and March.
Militão maintained hope even after a new MRI on Monday in Madrid and requested a specialist evaluation. On Monday night, he traveled to Turku, Finland, seeking a definitive diagnosis, which he received on Tuesday morning. The indication was that the injury was severe, with a risk of total tendon rupture that could affect the rest of his career. As a result, Militão accepted the recommendation for surgery, which will take place later today.
The end of his World Cup dream is another blow in a cycle where Militão has suffered nine injuries and spent more than 600 days inactive. At 28, the defender represented Brazil in 2022 and now sets his focus on the 2030 World Cup, which will be hosted by Spain, Portugal, and Morocco.
