Rodrygo, Real Madrid’s Brazilian forward, is out of the World Cup after tearing his ACL. He lasted just 35 minutes in Real’s 1-0 loss to Getafe before going down with a brutal knee injury. The club took him off straight away, and scans showed even worse news: he tore his ACL and his MCL in the same knee. He’s looking at around ten months on the sidelines.

Real Madrid put out a statement Tuesday confirming the injury: a torn anterior cruciate ligament and lateral meniscus in his right leg. Rodrygo, who’s 25, now faces surgery and a long road back.

It’s a huge blow. Rodrygo had been linked with a Premier League move last summer, but he stayed at Madrid and became one of their key players, moving all across the front line. He’s already played 27 games this season, popping up on both wings and through the middle.

For Brazil, he’s just as important. He played every one of their friendlies in October and November, scored twice, set up another, and his ability to slot in anywhere up front meant he was basically a lock for the World Cup squad.

Rodrygo was also one of Neymar’s most vocal supporters, pushing for his hero to get another World Cup call-up. Neymar, now back at Santos and still Brazil’s all-time top scorer, has played Brazil’s last four games, but his place in the squad is still up in the air. Rodrygo was clear about where he stood: “For me, there’s not even a discussion. We need him. It just won’t feel right to win without Neymar.” But he also admitted Neymar needs to be fit, especially after knee surgery.

Now, though, Rodrygo has lost his chance to play alongside Neymar at the World Cup. Ironically, his absence could give Neymar a better shot at making Carlo Ancelotti’s final squad.

Brazil’s coaches are leaving their decision on Neymar as late as possible. He’s in his mid-30s, and they’re watching his recovery closely. He didn’t get called up for the recent friendlies against France and Croatia, but with Rodrygo out, the situation could change.

The best thing Alvaro Arbeloa had going for him in the race for the Real Madrid job was the team’s turnaround in La Liga. They clawed back a four-point gap to overtake Barcelona at the top. But after back-to-back losses to Osasuna and Getafe, all that work’s gone. Suddenly, Real Madrid are right back where they started under Xabi Alonso, except now they’re also out of the Copa del Rey.

They lost 1-0 to Getafe. Arbeloa stood by his team, took the blame, and said they created enough chances to win. Still, critics keep hammering him for not finding answers or setting a clear direction after almost two months in charge.

And it’s not just the press. People in charge at Real Madrid are getting twitchy about Arbeloa, too. According to Diario AS, there are real doubts about whether he’ll stick around. March basically turns into a make-or-break month, with tough league games against Celta Vigo, Elche, and Atletico Madrid. Wedged between those is a Champions League showdown with Manchester City, which some are calling his "life jacket".

The players aren’t off the hook, but Arbeloa’s choices, playing guys out of position, odd substitutions, and poor results make his leadership look shaky. The club isn’t seeing the changes they wanted, and there’s a sense he should’ve done more to avoid those last two losses. Now, with just eight days before facing City, Arbeloa has to find a way to rally his team. But on top of the AS report, Pepe Alvarez is already calling Arbeloa’s fate "sealed".

There’s tension between Arbeloa and the club’s leadership, too. After the Getafe game, Arbeloa blamed the referee, telling Cadena Cope there were too many stoppages and Getafe got away with slowing things down. But upstairs, the feeling was different; someone in the presidential box shot back that it was actually Real Madrid wasting time, not Getafe. That says a lot about where things stand for Arbeloa right now.