It's now a full-blown injury crisis at Real Madrid. David Alaba's injury means Los Blancos now have just two senior centre-backs to continue the season. It also means we have three senior players who have ruptured their ACL.
The Anterior Cruciate Ligament (ACL) is one of the most important ligaments in a knee: it holds the bone and cartilage together and also connects the bottom of the thighbone to the top of the shinbone.
A ruptured ACL takes years to heal on its own and even then there are no guarantees that the injured person will ever walk or run properly. However, with surgery, the ACL can be reconstructed, giving the injured player a chance to fully recover in six months to a year, depending on various factors surrounding their rehab.
La Liga players have been on the unforgiving end of ACL injuries this season. We're only halfway through December and we can already count 10 La Liga senior players who have suffered nasty ACL injuries already.
Take a look:
1. David Silva (Real Sociedad) — forced to retire from football
2. Vitolo (Atletico Madrid)
3. Joseph Aidoo (Celta Vigo)
4. Aleksandar Sedlar (Alaves)
5. Gavi (Barcelona)
6. Yeremy Pino (Villarreal)
7. Thibaut Courtois (Real Madrid)
8. Eder Militao (Real Madrid)
9. David Alaba (Real Madrid)
10. Mauro Arambarri (Getafe)
