Militao returns to a Real Madrid squad six months later: his long recovery is finally over

Éder Militao is back in a Real Madrid matchday squad. Six months after rupturing the proximal tendon in his left hamstring and undergoing surgery, the Brazilian centre-back has been named in the list for Saturday's game against Sevilla. His return is a major boost for a defence still weakened by injuries and in need of leadership at the back.

• Militao returns to the squad against Sevilla after six months out with a hamstring tear.
• He was operated on in Finland by Dr Lasse Lempainen, who has overseen his recovery.
• Before this injury he suffered consecutive ACL tears in August 2023 and November 2024.
• Mourinho had been holding him back in training for weeks to prevent a setback.
• His comeback covers a key gap with Rodrygo, Asencio and Vinicius unavailable.

Six months out: the injury that sidelined Militao since April

The latest chapter in Militao's nightmare injury history was written in April, during a match against Alavés. In the forty-fourth minute, a bad movement forced him to stop. He put his hand on the back of his thigh and walked toward the bench. He had only just returned from another left hamstring injury that had kept him out since December.

The diagnosis left no room for doubt: a complete rupture of the proximal tendon, torn at its root. Surgery was unavoidable. Dr Lasse Lempainen, a leading surgeon in Finland, performed the operation and has guided the entire recovery. After the procedure he was clear: without going under the knife, the defender had no professional future at the highest level.

The only option was to operate: with that hamstring injury he could not continue his professional career at the highest level.

Two consecutive ACL tears: the medical history punishing Militao

The Brazilian's ordeal did not begin with the hamstring. In November 2024 he tore the anterior cruciate ligament in his left knee. Just over a year earlier, in August 2023, he had suffered the same injury in his right knee. Two ACL tears in back-to-back seasons, with hardly any time to breathe in between. Few injuries punish a centre-back as harshly as two wrecked knees in consecutive campaigns.

At twenty-eight, Militao has visited the operating room more times than any footballer would want. And yet he has always found a way to rise again. His return against Sevilla is one more episode in a series he knows by heart: the dressing-room door, medical clearance, the squad list and back onto the pitch.

Mourinho holds back Militao's impatience at Valdebebas

The comeback has not been as quick as the centre-back would have liked. More than a week ago, the coach publicly expressed his admiration for the Brazilian and asked for patience with the timeline. He explained that seeing him train made him happy and that he joked daily with him and the physios, telling him he would play again. He knew he was good, he admitted, but that he was even better than he thought.

Still, he made it clear he would not take any risks: not against Villarreal and not in the next fixture either. He needed a couple more weeks. Behind that caution was a coaching staff holding the player back. Days earlier, Militao had wanted to join the final stretch of a training match that was more intense than advisable at that stage of his recovery. The assistants stopped him immediately. Faced with his insistence, the response was blunt: not even five minutes. The defender's eagerness was running ahead of the schedule.

Militao's return as a boost amid Real Madrid's injury crisis

His return comes at the perfect time to fill gaps. Real Madrid's treatment room still has players recovering. Rodrygo and Asencio continue to work through their recovery processes, while Vinicius begins a four-match suspension against Sevilla after the Appeals Committee confirmed the ban. In that list of absentees, getting back a centre-back of Militao's calibre is equivalent to signing a top-level reinforcement without spending a single euro.

His impact goes beyond tactics. Militao brings strength, pace and experience to a back line that needs certainty. His mere presence in the squad lifts the dressing room and gives the coach more options for a demanding stretch of the schedule. After half a year away, the Brazilian is back and ready to prove that his body, no matter how many repairs it has undergone, still responds.

What his comeback means for Real Madrid against Sevilla

The match against Sevilla is a serious test for the Spanish side. Getting Militao back now allows Mourinho to reorganise the heart of the defence with a player of real authority, used to facing top forwards. His ability to defend the box, cut out counters and play out from the back is available again for a high-intensity contest.

There are no guarantees over how many minutes he will get. The past weeks have been defined by caution: the coaching staff does not want to trigger a setback after so long out. But his inclusion in the squad is a decisive step. After six months on the sidelines, Militao has shown his face at the door he knows best again: the one marked return.