Eder Militao returns to Real Madrid after 181 days
The Brazilian is in the squad for Sunday’s game with Sevilla but Mourinho plans a measured return.
Eder Militao is set to return to Real Madrid’s matchday squad after an absence that lasted exactly 181 days, the club confirmed on Saturday.
Gradual comeback planned
The Brazilian defender underwent surgery in April for an injury to his posterior cruciate ligament and has been out of action for six months. Manager Jose Mourinho included Militao in the list of players for Sunday’s game against Sevilla, but the coach intends to give him playing time gradually to avoid any setback.
Militao’s recent run of problems follows earlier muscle injuries that kept him sidelined from December 2025 until the end of March 2026, and a subsequent muscle issue. Before that, he missed the entire 2023/24 and 2024/25 seasons because of a knee injury.
The centre‑back joined Real Madrid in the summer of 2020 and spent his first three seasons largely free of serious interruptions, but the string of injuries that began in the summer of 2023 has limited his continuity.
Mourinho is reportedly pleased with Militao’s work in training and expects the 2022 World Cup‑era defender to reassert himself as a leader of the back line once fully fit. Real Madrid host Sevilla on Sunday at 21:00.
Photo: press material from the event
