19-year-old Real Madrid star retires after rare infection while undergoing ACL surgery

Real Madrid youngster Marc Cucalon has announced his premature retirement from professional football after falling victim to a rare infection in 2022. The Zaragoza native has chosen to end his career after a two-year battle with a bacterial infection in his knee.

Cucalon was captain of Real Madrid's Juvenil A team in 2022, with the midfielder playing alongside the now-Como star Nico Paz in the academy. In September 2022 in Glasgow, Los Blancos' U-19 team faced Celtic in the UEFA Youth League, when Cucalon suffered a ruptured ACL following a heavy tackle. The youngster was only 17 at the time, but never returned to a football pitch afterwards.

Marc Cucalon underwent surgery to repair his damaged ACL, only for bacteria to infiltrate the cartilage used to replace the ACL during the surgery. This led to a rare infection which has prevented the midfielder from carrying out any physical exercise on his knee since then. After 796 days on the sidelines, the 19-year-old has had enough and has called time on his career.

Cucalon was very highly rated in La Fabrica, where his technical qualities on the ball saw him likened to Xabi Alonso. Having joined the club from Real Zaragoza in 2016, the youngster spent six years on the books of the club before his unfortunate injury in 2022.

Juvenil A manager Alvaro Arbeloa put a great deal of trust in Marc Cucalon to make the grade at Real Madrid. He named him U-19 captain just weeks before his injury.

Earlier this summer, another of the club's youngsters, Joan Martinez, suffered a ruptured ACL, and the club will be keeping a close eye on his recovery as well.

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Real Madrid star missing as team holds first training of the week

Real Madrid defender Fran Garcia was missing from the training group as the team held its first training session this week. Carlo Ancelotti's fit players joined the Castilla team for training outdoors, while the injured players continued their recovery work.

The likes of Kylian Mbappe and Ferland Mendy, who were left out of international duty, were available for training, while former Rayo Vallecano man Garcia was absent. A report from the club revealed that he held his own training session indoors, possibly indicating a fitness issue for him.

This session comes after Los Blancos claimed a 4-0 win over Osasuna in their LaLiga meeting on Saturday, November 9. Garcia was in action from start to finish in the game, with Mendy left on the bench. He earned huge praise for his performance in the clash at the Santiago Bernabeu.