Real Madrid’s Brazilian defender Éder Militão was forced to stay off the pitch for a total of 438 days due to two serious injuries.
After returning from a long-term injury, another major setback struck him just a few months later. The frustration was overwhelming, and during that dark phase, Militão admitted that thoughts of “quitting football” often crossed his mind.
Because of two anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) injuries, the Real Madrid star missed 94 matches for the club. The first injury occurred in August 2023 on his left knee, and the second came in November 2024, this time on his right knee.
Militão made his long-awaited comeback for Real Madrid during the Club World Cup in June. He has now earned a recall to the Brazil national team after more than a year, ahead of their upcoming friendly matches.
Speaking at a press conference on Wednesday before Brazil’s match against South Korea, the 27-year-old opened up about how difficult that recovery period had been.
“After the second injury, many things were running through my head. I thought about quitting football because it wasn’t easy. But with the support of my wife, my daughter, and my teammates, I’m here now to play well again.”
He added,
“It’s never easy to deal with such injuries. You have to stay deeply connected with your family and with God… Suddenly, I had to depend on others even for simple things at home. But thanks to God, I recovered and returned to the top level — which isn’t easy.”
Brazil will face South Korea on Friday at 5 PM Bangladesh time, before taking on hosts Japan four days later.
