Just 11 minutes after returning from injury, Ferland Mendy is once again set for a lengthy spell on the sidelines.
Following their Copa del Rey final defeat, Real Madrid have been hit with more bad news. French defender Ferland Mendy has suffered another thigh injury and is likely to miss the rest of the season.
After being out for 44 days with a hamstring injury, Mendy returned to action in last Saturday’s Copa del Rey final against Barcelona. But he could only last 11 minutes before being forced off the pitch in Real’s 3–2 loss.
On Tuesday, the club released an official statement confirming that tests revealed a tear in the 29-year-old’s right thigh. However, they did not provide a recovery timeline.
Spanish media, however, report that Mendy could be out for around two and a half months. That means he’s also expected to miss the 32-team FIFA Club World Cup scheduled for June-July.
This marks Mendy’s fourth injury layoff of the season. Across all competitions, he has managed to appear in just 31 matches for Real Madrid during the 2024–25 campaign.
On the same day, Real also announced that defender Antonio Rüdiger would undergo knee surgery and is expected to be out for a long spell. He’s also facing a potential suspension for throwing an object toward the referee during the Copa del Rey final.
Last week, another Frenchman — midfielder Eduardo Camavinga — suffered a serious leg injury and is also unlikely to return this season.
Real Madrid currently sit second in La Liga, four points behind Barcelona, with five rounds of fixtures remaining.