Real Madrid’s plan to revolutionise injury prevention through the use of AI – report | OneFootball

Real Madrid have had to deal with a lot of injury problems over the past couple of years that have had a critical impact on their season.

Muscle injuries to key players, especially during the 2024/25 campaign, became a key concern for the Spanish capital club, leading to the revamp of the club’s medical department.

Use of AI as key tool to prevent injuries

According to MARCA, following the departure of Niko Mihic as head of medical services at the end of last season, Real Madrid have sought to revolutionise their methodology with one clear aim: to minimise injuries, especially muscular ones, which heavily affected the team in recent campaigns.

Given the increasing workload and the intensity of modern football, it is impossible to eliminate injuries completely. The goal, however, is to reduce them to an absolute minimum, even identifying potential problems before they occur.

To achieve this, Real Madrid’s renewed medical team are turning to a powerful ally: Artificial Intelligence.

The likes of Mendy and Camavinga have been plagued by recurring muscle injuries. (Photo by Lars Baron/Getty Images)

Until now, clubs relied on tools such as GPS trackers, heart monitors, and personalised questionnaires to monitor players’ conditions. From this season, however, Real Madrid have added AI to the process, although full implementation will take two to three months.

The system integrates all medical data for each player, creating personalised profiles to generate alerts when there is a risk of injury.

Two key metrics

As per the report, Real Madrid’s medical services have added two key metrics to traditional methods, enhancing early detection of potential injuries.

The first is sectoral BIA, which analyses aspects such as resistance, reactance (reaction speed), and the phase angle (PhA). This measurement detects hidden muscle fatigue, inflammation, or micro-injuries, often unnoticed even by the players themselves.

The second is metabolomics, a technique that examines metabolites in urine and blood. It provides the ‘chemical footprint’ of physical exertion, revealing what occurs in a player’s body after each match or training session.

Both sectoral BIA and metabolomics are now integrated into the AI system. When abnormal values appear, the technology signals the need for preventive action, such as resting a player or limiting their minutes on the pitch.

Real Madrid’s new AI-based project is designed to operate at every level of the club, aiming to reduce the impact of muscular injuries across all squads.