Dani Carvajal Set for Surgery After Serious Cruciate Ligament Injury

Dani Carvajal has announced that he will undergo surgery following a “serious” cruciate ligament injury sustained during Real Madrid’s 2-0 victory over Villarreal at Estadio Santiago Bernabeu. The 32-year-old right-back was visibly in pain after a collision with Yeremy Pino in added time, resulting in him being carried off the pitch on a stretcher while in tears.

“Serious cruciate ligament injury confirmed; I’m going to have to go through surgery and be off the field for a few months,” Carvajal shared on Instagram. “Already looking forward to starting recovery and coming back like a beast.”

Real Madrid manager Carlo Ancelotti expressed concern for Carvajal immediately after the match, stating that his players were “sad” and “worried” about their teammate. He noted, “Something happened that happens a lot because of the calendar, and it happened to a very, very important player for us.”

A statement from Real Madrid later confirmed that Carvajal had suffered a ruptured anterior cruciate ligament, a ruptured external collateral ligament, and a ruptured popliteus tendon in his right leg. He is scheduled for surgery in the coming days. Additionally, Brazil forward Vinicius Junior has been diagnosed with a “cervical injury,” and his condition will be monitored closely.

Real Madrid’s victory came after a disappointing loss to Lille in the Champions League earlier in the week. Federico Valverde opened the scoring in the 14th minute with a shot that deflected off Villarreal’s Alex Baena and found the bottom left corner. Villarreal nearly equalized shortly after, with Nicolas Pepe’s header clipping the crossbar from a Baena cross.

Vinicius Junior secured the win for Real with a powerful long-range shot that sailed into the top corner 17 minutes from time. Although Real had further opportunities to extend their lead, Antonio Rudiger and Jude Bellingham missed their chances.

Villarreal believed they had a penalty five minutes after halftime when Aurelien Tchouameni fouled Thierno Barry, but the foul was ruled out for offside. Baena’s 25-yard free-kick grazed the side-netting as Villarreal pressed for a way back into the match but ultimately fell short.

Real Madrid remains undefeated in 41 consecutive La Liga matches (30 wins, 11 draws), marking the second-longest unbeaten streak in the competition’s history. Barcelona holds the record with a 43-game unbeaten run in 2018. The result leaves Real level on points with Barcelona at the top of the table, although Hansi Flick’s side can pull ahead with a victory against Alaves on Sunday.