The 2023-24 season has been a nightmare for Real Madrid‘s defense, with the club now facing a staggering total of 47 injuries across its squad. This latest setback comes as Dani Carvajal joins a lengthy list of absentees, forcing coach Xabi Alonso to once again rethink his defensive lineup. The ongoing injury crisis has become a troubling trend at the Santiago Bernabéu, where over two seasons, the team has seen its defenders sidelined for a combined total of 2,406 days.
Currently, key players such as Antonio Rüdiger, Carvajal, and David Alaba are nursing injuries, with Rüdiger and Carvajal expected to be out for an extended period. The situation has reached a critical point, as Madrid has had to compete in three matches this season—against Kaïrat Almaty, Getafe, and Juventus—with five defenders unavailable. Since the start of the 2025-26 campaign, a total of seven defenders have already faced injuries, leaving only Asensio, Fran García, and Carreras untouched by this wave of physical setbacks.
A Familiar Struggle
This ongoing injury crisis is not new for Real Madrid. Under Carlo Ancelotti during the 2023-24 season, the team experienced similar woes. Just before that season began, Ancelotti’s preferred defensive lineup—featuring Carvajal, Éder Militão, Alaba, and Ferland Mendy—lasted merely 50 minutes before Militão suffered a serious knee injury. The second-choice defense was only utilized four times due to further injuries.
During that season alone, Ancelotti had to field an astonishing 24 different defensive formations to cope with the injuries. Last season proved even more challenging; he employed 32 distinct backlines while managing 26 injuries among his defenders—double the number seen so far this term. Such persistent injury problems have raised alarm bells at Valdebebas about the long-term fitness of certain players.
Impact on Player Fitness
The statistics are telling: over the past three seasons, Alaba has faced six injuries totaling 549 days out; Militão has missed five spells totaling 493 days; Carvajal has been sidelined for 411 days due to six separate injuries; Mendy has faced eight injuries totaling 347 days; and Rüdiger has missed four spells amounting to 187 days. To combat this alarming trend and bolster their defensive options, Real Madrid acquired three new defenders—Carreras, Huijsen, and Trent—during the summer transfer window of 2025. The club is already eyeing further reinforcements for next summer.
This relentless cycle of injuries raises questions about player conditioning and training methods at the club. With seven defenders already on the treatment table after just 13 league matches, how will Alonso adapt? Will he be able to maintain competitive form in both domestic and European competitions? As Madrid navigates these turbulent waters, fans can only hope for a swift return to health for their key players.
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