Ilias Kostis out for the season after cruciate injury in Libya | OneFootball

The worst fears for Ilias Kostis have been confirmed: a torn cruciate ligament for the starting left center-back of Atlético Madrileño. The Greek-Cypriot was injured in the final stretch of the second half, during the friendly match against Inter Milan in Libya.

Ilias came on in the second half of the match, specifically in the 71st minute, replacing Javi Galán. It was in the 84th minute when he suffered the fateful injury, in a chance collision with an opponent where he did not seem to be under excessive strain, but after that moment, he was visibly in pain and had to lie down on the ground. He was clearly aware of what was happening to him. And he knows his body better than anyone, especially when something is not right.

Unfortunately, this is not the first time he has suffered such a serious injury. On December 2, 2023, in the 3-2 victory of what was then Atleti B against Recreativo Granada, he had to be substituted after the first quarter of an hour of play due to another accidental incident, where, right after making a long pass, he grabbed the back of his left leg and asked to be taken off. At the time, it was said to be a quadriceps tear, but what we do know for sure is that it was a long-term muscle injury that kept him sidelined until his return on May 12, in the 0-0 draw against UD Melilla. Almost nothing.

Kostis, who had started this season as a substitute for Atlético Madrileño, returned to the starting lineup against Betis Deportivo replacing the then-injured Mati Barboza, and delivered very good performances both defensively and on the ball, keeping two clean sheets.

From AtléticoSport we send him our best wishes, hoping for a speedy and full recovery, and we send all our encouragement and strength.

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