The past few hours have been extremely turbulent for Antonio Rüdiger. While awaiting notification of his suspension after being sent off in the Copa del Rey final against Barcelona for attempting to assault the referee and showing extremely aggressive behavior, Real Madrid has announced that the German defender has undergone knee surgery and will be out for an estimated period of six to eight weeks.

Rüdiger has undergone knee surgery

The news had already been reported by various media outlets in Spain over the past few days. However, it was expected that the decision would be made after the suspension was known. Nevertheless, Real Madrid feared the worst and, in agreement with the player, decided to proceed with surgery. “Our player Antonio Rüdiger has successfully undergone surgery today for a partial tear of the lateral meniscus in his left leg. The operation was performed by Dr. Manuel Leyes under the supervision of Real Madrid’s Medical Services. Rüdiger will soon begin his recovery process,” read the statement issued by Real Madrid.

The truth is, after competing in the Euro Cup with Germany, reaching the quarterfinals, this season has been extremely demanding for Antonio Rüdiger. With Nacho leaving as a free agent, the subsequent injury to Eder Militao, and the slow recovery of David Alaba, Antonio Rüdiger has had to put in extra effort to hold together Real Madrid’s defensive line. After playing 49 matches and being the second-most used player on the squad with 4,101 minutes played, his body could no longer keep up at the age of 32.

Dramatic situation in Real Madrid’s defense

This new injury suffered by Antonio Rüdiger, who had already been playing in pain for many weeks, puts Real Madrid in a critical situation as they try to navigate the final stretch of the season and close the gap with Barcelona in LaLiga, hoping to win a title that could save their season. Especially because the only center-backs Ancelotti currently has available are Raúl Asencio… and a David Alaba who hasn’t been able to start two matches in a row since recovering from his injury.

At best, Antonio Rüdiger is expected to be out for six weeks. Therefore, he might just make it back in time to play in the Club World Cup with Real Madrid… though under very questionable physical conditions. If his recovery extends to eight weeks, his participation would be practically ruled out. This scenario could push Real Madrid to make a move in the transfer market to bring in the center-back they’ve long been needing in recent seasons.