Real Madrid Defender Militão to Undergo Knee Surgery after Damaging Ligament in League Opener

 Real Madrid's Brazilian defender #03 Éder Militão is helped to leave the pitch after resulting injured during the Spanish Liga football match between Athletic Bilbao and Real Madrid at the San Mames stadium in Bilbao on August 12, 2023. (AFP)
Real Madrid's Brazilian defender #03 Éder Militão is helped to leave the pitch after resulting injured during the Spanish Liga football match between Athletic Bilbao and Real Madrid at the San Mames stadium in Bilbao on August 12, 2023. (AFP)
TT
20

Real Madrid Defender Militão to Undergo Knee Surgery after Damaging Ligament in League Opener

 Real Madrid's Brazilian defender #03 Éder Militão is helped to leave the pitch after resulting injured during the Spanish Liga football match between Athletic Bilbao and Real Madrid at the San Mames stadium in Bilbao on August 12, 2023. (AFP)
Real Madrid's Brazilian defender #03 Éder Militão is helped to leave the pitch after resulting injured during the Spanish Liga football match between Athletic Bilbao and Real Madrid at the San Mames stadium in Bilbao on August 12, 2023. (AFP)

Real Madrid defender Éder Militão will need to undergo surgery after injuring his left knee in the team's Spanish league opener, the club said Sunday.

Madrid said Militão has been diagnosed with a torn anterior cruciate ligament and will undergo surgery in the coming days. The club did not specify how long it expects the defender to be sidelined, though such injuries usually require several months of recovery.

The 25-year-old Brazil defender got hurt early in the second half of Madrid's 2-0 win at Athletic Bilbao on Saturday. He went down in pain when his left knee appeared to twist awkwardly and had to be helped to walk off the field by two team doctors.

Madrid had already lost starting goalkeeper Thibaut Courtois because of a knee ligament injury last week. Newly signed midfielder Arda Güler also won’t be available for some time — reportedly several weeks — because of a knee problem that will also likely require surgery.

Madrid's next game it at Almeria in the Spanish league on Saturday.



Verstappen Snatches 'Insane' Pole for Japan GP in Track Record

Formula One F1 - Japanese Grand Prix - Suzuka Circuit, Suzuka, Japan - April 5, 2025 Red Bull's Max Verstappen celebrates after qualifying in pole position REUTERS/Manami Yamada
Formula One F1 - Japanese Grand Prix - Suzuka Circuit, Suzuka, Japan - April 5, 2025 Red Bull's Max Verstappen celebrates after qualifying in pole position REUTERS/Manami Yamada
TT
20

Verstappen Snatches 'Insane' Pole for Japan GP in Track Record

Formula One F1 - Japanese Grand Prix - Suzuka Circuit, Suzuka, Japan - April 5, 2025 Red Bull's Max Verstappen celebrates after qualifying in pole position REUTERS/Manami Yamada
Formula One F1 - Japanese Grand Prix - Suzuka Circuit, Suzuka, Japan - April 5, 2025 Red Bull's Max Verstappen celebrates after qualifying in pole position REUTERS/Manami Yamada

Four-time world champion Max Verstappen smashed the track record to snatch pole position for Sunday's Japanese Grand Prix ahead of McLaren's Lando Norris, as Yuki Tsunoda qualified a lowly 15th in his Red Bull debut.

Verstappen clocked a blistering lap of 1min 26.983sec in his Red Bull, 0.012sec ahead of championship leader Norris, with McLaren's Oscar Piastri third.

Verstappen set a new Suzuka track record with his final lap in Saturday's qualifying, pipping Norris right at the death.

"Each session we kept making little improvements, then the last lap was flat out," said Verstappen, who has won the Japanese GP for the last three years.

"In a Formula One car around here is insane. This is a proper highlight for us to be back on pole here."

It was Verstappen's first pole position of the season, AFP reported.

The Dutchman is still looking for his first grand prix win of the new campaign.

Ferrari's Charles Leclerc was fourth ahead of Mercedes' George Russell, with Mercedes' Kimi Antonelli sixth and RB's Isack Hadjar seventh.

Ferrari's Lewis Hamilton was eighth, followed by Williams's Alex Albon and Haas's Oliver Bearman.

Norris is looking for his second grand prix win of the season, after triumphing in the season opener in Australia.

He finished second behind Piastri in China a fortnight ago in a dominant start to the campaign for McLaren.

"I'm happy, congrats to Max, he did a good job," said Norris.

"You have to credit something when it is a lap that good that he must have done. I got everything out of the car today, the gaps are tiny.

"Good but not enough."

Tsunoda was eliminated in Q2 in a disappointing first qualifying drive for Red Bull after being promoted in place of Liam Lawson last week.

The Japanese driver finished one place behind Lawson, who returned to RB after just two races for Red Bull in a ruthless driver swap.