Real Madrid midfielder Brahim Diaz is expected to miss at least two months due to a hip abductor injury following his forcing off in the 25th minute of Madrid’s 2-0 win over Real Sociedad on Saturday.
The club’s medical team confirmed on Sunday that Diaz, 25, sustained an injury to the abductor longus muscle in his right leg.
The Atlas lion was making his first league start of the season, having come off the bench in Madrid’s previous four matches, according to The New York Times.
As a result of the injury, Diaz is likely to miss Madrid’s next eight La Liga games, including the highly anticipated Clasico against Barcelona on October 27.
He will also be unavailable for the start of Madrid’s Champions League campaign, which begins on Tuesday against Stuttgart, followed by fixtures against Lille and Borussia Dortmund in October.
Having previously represented Spain at the youth level, Diaz declared for Morocco and has played a crucial role in his national team’s recent campaigns.
He spent two seasons on loan at AC Milan, where he scored 18 goals in 124 appearances. Diaz joined Real Madrid in 2019 after starting his career at Malaga and then moving to Manchester City at the age of 14.
Moroccan netizens are uniting around Brahim Diaz, pushing for his nomination for the prestigious Africa Ballon d’Or award following his excellent performance during his recent games with the national team and Real Madrid.
The hashtag #BrahimForAfricanBallonDor has become the top trend in Morocco, with over 4,300 reposts and counting.