Ceballos Injury Is A Devastating Blow To Real Madrid During A Pivotal Stretch

Late Wednesday night, when Dani Ceballos was helped off the field in visible pain and emotional distress, clutching his left hamstring after a collision with Real Sociedad’s Takefusa Kubo, the worst was feared: The team’s most important ball-progressor from deep, a unique profile in the post-Toni Kroos era, could be out for an extended period of time during a crucial make-or-break point in the season.

Still, some optimism, if not much, remained that the injury could be less severe than it looked. All of that was put to bed this morning, when Real Madrid, after medically evaluating Ceballos, diagnosed him with a ‘semimembranosus muscle injury affecting the tendon in his left leg’. The injury will see the Spaniard out some two months.

The news is devastating. Ceballos was seen, both internally and externally, as a pivotal player in the second half of the season, as, through his own great form, he had worked his way into a deserved starting role. Ceballos was a pivotal piece of the success over Manchester City, and his emergence in the double-pivot alongside Aurelien Tchouameni brought balance. He provided a two-way engine, both as an escape-valve facing a high press and through tenacious hunting on defense.