Rodrygo back on the ball, enters final stage of recovery at Real Madrid | OneFootball

Rodrygo Goes took another step toward his return to action this Monday. The Brazilian forward was back working with the ball at Valdebebas, a particularly significant step after more than half a year out with a serious knee injury.

The Real Madrid player continues to make progress in his recovery and, although there is still no definitive date for his return, the club’s target remains between December 2026 and January 2027.

Rodrygo makes contact with the ball again

After several months focused exclusively on his physical recovery, Rodrygo has now started to incorporate the ball into his sessions at the training ground.

The Brazilian had returned to the pitch in early September to do light running away from the group.

Now, several weeks later, the next step has come with the ball back at his feet, a sign that his rehabilitation is moving into a phase increasingly closer to football-specific work.

An injury that completely changed his season

The road began on March 2, during the match against Getafe at the Santiago Bernabéu. Rodrygo suffered what turned out to be the most serious injury of his career: a torn anterior cruciate ligament and lateral meniscus in his right knee.

The Brazilian had to undergo surgery on March 10, beginning a rehabilitation process initially estimated at between eight and nine months.

The injury ruled him out for the final stretch of the season and also ended his chances of playing in the World Cup with Brazil, then coached by Carlo Ancelotti.

Mourinho is still waiting for his return

The recovery process has also created a particular situation at Real Madrid. José Mourinho has still not been able to coach a fully fit Rodrygo, as the Brazilian did not take part in preseason and has not been available at the start of the campaign.

As a result, his return will almost feel like the arrival of a new attacking option for the Portuguese coach.

Ancelotti is also closely following his progress. The Brazil manager recently visited Valdebebas to check on the condition of the forward and other Brazilian players in the Madrid squad.

Rodrygo is not the only one making progress

Real Madrid’s treatment room is also slowly starting to empty.

Éder Militão is already back running with his teammates and recently received a visit from the medical team involved in his operation in Finland.

Meanwhile, Ferland Mendy is also progressing in his recovery and has already started working with the ball.

The three players are advancing at different rates, but their progress is good news for Mourinho, who has had to cope with several important absences for much of the start of the season.

For Rodrygo, however, the objective is even more personal: to fully regain confidence in his knee, feel like a footballer again, and definitively put one of the most difficult periods of his career behind him.

This article was translated into English by Artificial Intelligence. You can read the original version in 🇪🇸 here.