Real Madrid disclosed yesterday in an official medical bulletin that Fede Valverde suffered a “grade‑3 sprain of his left ankle.” The club omitted any recovery window, yet insiders anticipate the Uruguayan could be back in three weeks. That would be after the international break.
From that point, doubts and rumors swirled around Valverde’s injury. Although Real Madrid maintained the player had a grade‑three sprain, critics argued that such a diagnosis should sideline him for eight to ten weeks, not three, since a grade‑3 tear implies a complete ligament rupture and that doesn’t appear to match Valverde’s condition.
On SER, Dr Ripoll explained that “if it were a partial tear, as you suggest, three weeks would be realistic,” he said, addressing doubts about a three‑week return for a grade‑three injury. “Either a brilliant treatment has shaved the timeline, or we’re simply being optimistic,” he added, noting that the grade is based on MRI scans. “Clinically he’s progressed fast, even if images look grim. I’m convinced, and I’m not alone, that he’ll be on the pitch soon.”
Meanwhile, Dr González told Onda Cero that a grade‑3 ankle sprain is the most severe, typically keeping a player out for three to six months. He added that a partial ligament tear would be classified as grade 1 or 2, the most common type, allowing the athlete to continue playing. “If Valverde returns in three weeks, the grade‑3 label can’t be right; it’s probably a grade‑2,” the physician concluded.
Many fans now question the diagnosis, arguing that a three‑week layoff can’t align with a grade‑3 sprain. They suspect Real Madrid is inflating the story that a referee’s decision in the derby led to Valverde’s injury. In my view, the club’s narrative feels overly convenient. Will the truth emerge before the next match?