Good news at Real Madrid

Real Madrid's Brazilian defender Eder Militao appears to be on his way back to action after a long and complicated recovery from two consecutive cruciate ligament injuries, which ruled him out of most of the 2023-24 season and postponed the start of the 2024-25 season until further notice. Spanish newspaper AS confirmed that Militao is currently participating in Real Madrid's group training and has already been included in the squad for the Club World Cup in the United States. The hope is that he will be fully fit for the start of the 2025-26 season under new coach Xabi Alonso. What has impressed the club is the speed of Militao's recovery from his second injury, as it took only 195 days for him to return to action, a remarkable number for cases of complete cruciate ligament tears. According to AS, this is due to the meticulous and intensive work led by physiotherapist Jaime Salom and his personal trainer Romario Queiroz, who has been supervising his daily rehabilitation. Despite the recurrence of the injury, Militao showed no signs of a mental breakdown. On the contrary, his first comment after the second injury was: "I know how to handle it, let's work," a message that reflected his mental toughness and determination to return. Romario Queiroz, for his part, explained that a return doesn't happen at the push of a button, but rather through calculated stages to avoid fatigue, especially in light of the enormous pressure of matches, which he described as "confusing." He added: "The players don't get enough rest, and this intensity is directly responsible for the high rate of injuries, especially to the cruciate ligament." Real Madrid's recent history with such injuries confirms Queiroz's point. Thibaut Courtois previously suffered a ligament tear in 2019, before Carvajal and Alaba followed suit in subsequent seasons, highlighting the fatigue players experience due to the tight international and domestic schedules. Now, Militao is fully focused on reaching peak physical and mental fitness, driven by a strong desire to regain his place among the world's elite defenders.