Real Madrid suffered a huge injury blow days before its season began after its Belgian goalkeeper Thibaut Courtois suffered an anterior cruciate ligament tear in his left knee.
The Spanish side confirmed that Courtois will undergo surgery in the coming days.
The injury happened earlier today during a practice session, with the 31-year-old shot-stopper leaving the ground in tears.
“You never expect to go through something like this, but now it’s time to accept it and do everything possible to overcome it and come back even stronger,” Courtois said on his social media accounts. “Thank you all for the energy, love and encouragement, I assure you that they motivate me to recover as quickly as possible.”
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The club did not specify how long Courtois will be out but reports in Spain suggest he will miss most of the season, if not all of it.
Real Madrid is now left with backup goalkeeper Andriy Lunin, who was looking set to leave the club.
The Los Blancos will in all likelihood enter the transfer market for a new goalkeeper, with former Manchester United No. 1 David de Gea the most prominent of the available options.
Courtois, who joined the Madrid side in 2018, has been pivotal in his side’s success in recent years, helping it to two LaLiga titles and a Champions League win.
Madrid opens the season on Saturday at Athletic Bilbao.
With inputs from AFP and AP
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