Thibaut Courtois and 7 World Class Players Who Suffered ACL Injuries

Real Madrid’s task of reclaiming La Liga became significantly more difficult on Thursday when Thibaut Courtois suffered a serious injury during Thursday's training session at Valdebebas.

The unfortunate event transpired when Courtois suffered a fall during the morning drills, necessitating his removal from the field on a stretcher.

It’s since been confirmed that the 30-year-old has damaged his anterior cruciate ligament in his left knee, with Marca reporting that the Belgium international would need surgical intervention in the upcoming days.

While Real Madrid hasn’t put a time frame on his return to action, the average length of time it takes to recover from such an injury can be from six to 12 months, per GOAL.

It's a disheartening setback for both Real Madrid and Courtois; however, advancements in medical technology have enabled ACL injuries to be treated in manners that facilitate players' resurgence to a competitive standard.

Courtois now adds his name to the extensive roster of players who have experienced ACL injuries, with certain individuals conquering the adversity and others encountering challenges in regaining their peak performance.

Here, Sports Brief delves into seven other prominent footballers who encountered the dreaded ACL injury.

Radamel Falcao

Falcao's prime years were marred when he suffered an ACL tear while representing Monaco in January 2014.

This unfortunate injury caused Falcao to be absent during the World Cup and he encountered difficulties during his loan stints at English clubs Manchester United and Chelsea.

However, this setback didn't spell the conclusion of Falcao's prowess as a remarkable goal scorer. Upon rejoining Monaco, he steered them to victory in Ligue 1 for the 2016/17 season, netting 21 times in 29 matches. He maintained his goal-scoring prowess and later moved on to Galatasaray in 2019.

Roy Keane

During the 1997/98 season, Keane sustained an ACL injury while tackling Leeds United midfielder Alf-Inge Haaland (father of Man City's Erling Haaland).

This incident ignited a protracted rivalry between the two footballers, culminating in Keane seeking retaliation three and a half years later with a challenge that ultimately ended Haaland's playing career.

The ACL injury Keane endured led to his absence from a significant portion of the 1997/98 season.

Marco Reus

Marco Reus has faced a string of ill-fated injuries, leaving one to ponder the heights he could have reached without such misfortune.

In May 2017, the German talent endured a partial tear of the cruciate ligament in his right knee, keeping him sidelined until 2018.

Although Reus managed a comeback for the 2018 World Cup with the German national team, he has remained plagued by injuries over the subsequent two years.

Ruud Van Nistelrooy

Following his remarkable achievement of netting 29 goals in a mere 23 games for PSV during the 1999/2000 season, Van Nistelrooy was poised to finalize a record-breaking transfer to Manchester United.

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Unfortunately, he suffered an ACL rupture that sidelined him for an entire year. However, he managed to secure his move to United the subsequent season and proceeded to carve out a revered status at Old Trafford.

Subsequently, he also experienced fruitful periods at Real Madrid and Malaga in the latter stages of his career.

Virgil Van Dijk

Liverpool's defensive mainstay encountered an ACL injury three years ago during the Merseyside derby against Everton, a result of a perilous challenge from Everton's goalkeeper, Jordan Pickford.

Alan Shearer

Regarded as one of the greatest strikers in history, a 21-year-old Alan Shearer made his shift from Southampton to Blackburn Rovers in 1992, a move that set a then-British transfer record at £3.6 million.

However, Shearer's inaugural season with Blackburn was interrupted as he suffered an ACL tear in December, causing him to sit out the remainder of the season.

Nonetheless, his resurgence was nothing short of remarkable; he embarked on a prolific journey, continuously breaking and establishing new records. Ultimately, Shearer ascended to become the all-time top scorer in the Premier League with an impressive tally of 260 goals.

Zlatan Ibrahimovic

Zlatan Ibrahimovic's debut season with Manchester United ended prematurely due to an ACL tear sustained during a Europa League match against Anderlecht.

Given his age of 35 at that point, scepticism arose regarding his potential to recuperate fully; nevertheless, after seven months, Ibrahimovic made a triumphant return to the field, famously proclaiming that "lions don't recover like humans."

After leaving United, Ibrahimovic had a productive spell in the MLS with LA Galaxy.

De Gea to replace Courtois?

Sports Brief earlier reported David de Gea could be on his way to Spanish giants Real Madrid just a few weeks after leaving English Premier League giants Manchester United.

Real Madrid have confirmed that first-choice goalkeeper, Thibaut Courtois has suffered an anterior cruciate ligament injury that will require him to undergo surgery.

According to Goal, the injury to Courtois could mean that the Belgian goalkeeper could be unavailable for the rest of the season, so a search for his replacement has begun.