Real Madrid lose captain Federico Valverde to ankle injury for several weeks
Real Madrid captain Federico Valverde has been diagnosed with a grade 3 sprain in his left ankle after a tackle from Atletico Madrid's Lee Kang-in in the derby, ruling him out for several weeks and out of Uruguay's October friendlies.
Published 23 Sept 20262 min read
Valverde sidelined after derby tackle
Real Madrid captain Federico Valverde will be sidelined for several weeks after the club confirmed a grade 3 sprain in his left ankle, an injury suffered in Sunday's 2-1 derby defeat at Atletico Madrid. The Uruguay midfielder was hurt by a tackle from Atletico's Lee Kang-in, an incident Real Madrid insist should have been punished with a red card.
"After the tests carried out today on our player Fede Valverde by the Real Madrid medical services, he has been diagnosed with a grade 3 sprain in his left ankle," the club said in a statement on Tuesday. Spanish press reports suggest the 28-year-old will be out for several weeks, a timeline that rules him out of Uruguay's upcoming friendlies against Japan, South Korea and India during the international break.
The incident Real wanted punished
The injury has become part of a wider refereeing row. Real Madrid coach Jose Mourinho arrived at his post-match press conference on Sunday with printed screenshots of two tackles he felt should have brought red cards for Atletico players, including Lee's challenge on Valverde. The Spanish referees' technical committee has not included the incident in its weekend review, while the debate has kept the replays circulating on Spanish television.
Losing Valverde removes Mourinho's most durable midfielder at an awkward moment. The derby defeat left Real Madrid fourth after seven rounds, six points behind leaders Barcelona, and the captain's absence will now be felt both domestically and in the Champions League programme that resumes after the international window.
What it means for the team sheet
Valverde's engine-room role has no like-for-like replacement in the squad, so expect Mourinho to reshape the midfield rather than simply swap in a deputy. With the international break buying almost two weeks before LaLiga resumes, Real Madrid will hope the grade 3 sprain heals quickly enough for the Uruguayan to feature again before the Clasico run of fixtures — but for now, the captain is out, and the list of matches he will miss is still growing.
OneLightScore will track Valverde's recovery and Real Madrid's team news, lineups and injury updates through every matchday of the LaLiga season.