It’s not news that a lot of fans hate international breaks, and that injuries are the primary reason why. Monday brought more material, in this regard, for Real Madrid supporters, as both Ferland Mendy and Dani Ceballos went down. That’s two first team players who will now be on the shelf for awhile, joining the likes of Jude Bellingham (muscular problem), David Alaba (acl) and Eduardo Camavinga (knee).
Let’s start with Ceballos, who is apparently sidelined for the next six to eight weeks, due to a calf injury.
Ceballos, 28, actually wasn’t hurt during the internationals, it’s just that the news broke today. He actually suffered the problem in the 2-0 La Liga win over Real Betis yesterday.
“After the tests carried out today on our player Dani Ceballos by the Real Madrid Medical Services, he has been diagnosed with a grade III sprain with involvement of the ligaments in the right ankle,” official correspondence related to the Spaniard’s injury read.
As for Mendy, his injury also occurred while playing for club (like Ceballos, Mendy was hooked off the pitch at the Bernabeu this past weekend), and he is now ruled out of international duty. Reports indicate that it’s a tibia injury, but we’re still waiting for the results of the scans, to determine the severity.
Once we know that, we’ll get a timeline for recovery and return. Right now though, it doesn’t sound good for Mendy. Or Ceballos for that matter.
Thus far, Real Madrid have won two and drawn two, making the start to their season a lot less inspiring than what had been expected.
Paul M. Banks is the Founding Editor of The Sports Bank. He’s also the author of “Transatlantic Passage: How the English Premier League Redefined Soccer in America,” and “No, I Can’t Get You Free Tickets: Lessons Learned From a Life in the Sports Media Industry.”
He currently contributes to USA Today’s NFL Wires Network. His past bylines include the New York Daily News, Sports Illustrated and the Chicago Tribune. His work has been featured in numerous outlets, including the Wall Street Journal, Forbes, the Washington Post and ESPN. You can follow him on Linked In and Twitter.