‘One of the worst days of my life’ – Brazil’s Rodrygo out of World Cup

Brazil’s Real Madrid forward Rodrygo called it “one of the worst days of my life” after he was ruled out for the rest of the season and 2026 World Cup with a serious knee injury.

The 25-year-old’s club said he had “been diagnosed with a rupture of the anterior cruciate ligament and a rupture of the lateral meniscus of his right leg”.

An ACL injury often leads to footballers missing most – and sometimes all – of a season and recovery can sometimes take even longer.

Rodrygo appeared as a second-half substitute for Real in their defeat by Getafe on Monday, completing the game after coming on in the 55th minute.

It was his first appearance since a late substitute outing for the La Liga club at the start of February.

“One of the worst days of my life, how much I always feared this injury,” Rodrygo wrote in a social media post.

“Maybe life has been a little cruel to me lately, I don’t know if I deserve this, but what can I complain about? How many wonderful things I’ve experienced that I didn’t deserve either.”

Rodrygo made five appearances for Brazil at the 2022 World Cup in Qatar.

He added: “A major obstacle has arisen in my life, in my career, which prevents me from doing what I love most for a certain period of time.

“I’m out of the rest of the season with my club and out of the World Cup with my country, a dream that everyone knows how much it means to me. And all I can do is be strong as always, this is nothing new.

The World Cup, which is being hosted by Canada, Mexico and the United States, will take place between 11 June and 19 July.

Brazil, managed by former Real Madrid manager Carlo Ancelotti, open their campaign against Morocco on 13 June before playing Haiti and Scotland.

In a statement, the Brazilian Football Association (CBF) said Rodrygo “suffered a serious injury during the match against Getafe in the Spanish League” and it “expresses its solidarity” with the winger.

It added: “The CBF wishes the athlete a speedy recovery and that he returns to the pitch as soon as possible.”

Rodrygo has played 19 times in the league for Real this season, with 13 outings as a substitute, and has scored one goal and registered three assists.

He has made five appearances in the Champions League, scoring once and registering one assist.

The setback for Rodrygo comes with Real forward Kylian Mbappe also struggling with a knee injury.