- Eder Militao returned for Real Madrid against Athletic Club
- Centre-back suffered ACL injury during reverse fixture
- He missed almost eight months following August injury
Eder Militao struggled to put into words his delight at being back on the pitch for Real Madrid on Sunday, almost eight months after he suffered an ACL tear that derailed his season.
Militao, who has established himself as one of the top center backs in the world, got the feared knee injury early in the second half of the season opener against Athletic Club at San Mames in Bilbao. The match was played at San Mames.
In the course of his recovery, he made an appearance off the bench at the Bernabeu against the same opponent over the weekend. This brought his comeback to a degree of completion after it had gone full circle.
“It is a joy that I cannot explain,” the Brazilian said in an interview broadcast on Moviestar Plus+.
There is a great deal of joy for the support that the supporters have shown. The last few days have been challenging, but now is the time to take pleasure in this moment of happiness. That it had to be here, at home, and against the club that I had been hurt against was a must.
In the aftermath of Sergio Ramos’ departure from Madrid in 2021, Militao was given the opportunity to become a regular starter for the club. He played 101 times for the club in only the two seasons of 2022/23 and 2022/23 alone.
Additionally, Carlo Ancelotti has been working without David Alaba for a significant portion of the season, which has prevented him from having a reliable center-back partner for Antonio Rudiger. Nacho, the veteran club captain, has been the primary benefactor of this situation. Since Christmas, he has been given an extended run of games in his favored center position, despite the fact that he has been considered a utility stand-in for the significant majority of his career.
During the month of January, Madrid demonstrated their dedication to Militao by signing a new deal that would last until the year 2028. At the conclusion of the next season, his prior contract was scheduled to expire. The revised conditions included an increase in compensation for the Brazilian player, and his release clause was set at one billion euros.
The fact that there are less than two months left to play in the season makes it difficult to predict whether or not he will have sufficient time to demonstrate his physical health in order to be considered for selection for Brazil in the Copa America.