It’s another devastating blow for Johnny Cardoso as his first season with Atlético Madrid ends in a cascade of injuries. The latest setback occurred during training following the defeat to Arsenal, and it is far more severe than initially feared. The American midfielder will require surgery on his right ankle, as announced by the club.
Cardoso suffered a high-grade sprain with joint involvement in Thursday’s session. According to AS, the injury includes a partial ligament tear that will keep him sidelined for at least nine weeks. Surgery is necessary to address the problem, which dashes his hopes of playing in the 2026 World Cup. The United States will be one of the host nations, alongside Canada and Mexico. This absence is a major blow for coach Mauricio Pochettino, who had been weighing up his inclusion in the squad.
Cardoso’s ankles have been a recurring nightmare. Last summer, an ankle issue prevented him from featuring in the knockout stages of the Gold Cup, where his team finished as runners-up. He re-aggravated his left ankle just before the visit to Anfield, having been poised to start as he began to feature prominently in Simeone’s plans. That injury kept him out for two months. Now it is his right ankle that requires surgery to fix the persistent issue.
This season, Cardoso has featured in 30 of Atlético’s 58 matches: 15 in La Liga, 10 in the Champions League, one in the Spanish Super Cup, and four in the Copa del Rey. He could have been the hero of the cup final, but Real Sociedad goalkeeper Marrero saved his one-on-one effort in the last minute of regulation time. That title slipped away as Marrero later denied him in the shootout.
He started 20 games and logged 1,715 minutes—a modest tally given the expectations that accompanied his move from Betis, largely due to these persistent fitness problems. He missed 17 matches altogether, and in the league visit to Camp Nou, he had to be substituted after just 14 minutes due to a knock.
Injury crisis at Atlético
Atletico were controversially knocked out of the Champions League semifinals by Arsenal, ending their hopes of silverware this season. They travel to Osasuna on Saturday with seven players sidelined. Álex Baena is suspended due to accumulated yellow cards. Julián Álvarez aggravated his ankle injury at Anfield, and Giuliano Simione is still nursing a hip knock. Pablo Barrios has been juggling muscle issues for three months, Nico González missed the Champions League tie, and both Giménez and Nahuel picked up injuries in the weekend defeat to Celta Vigo.
