Johnny Cardoso's high-grade right ankle sprain has turned a routine training day into a real problem for Atletico Madrid. The club confirmed the injury after Thursday training, when Johnny Cardoso was unable to complete the session. With four La Liga games left, the timing is about as awkward as it gets for the club and for Mauricio Pochettino's wider World Cup thinking.

What Atletico Madrid confirmed

Atletico Madrid said Cardoso will undergo physiotherapy and rehabilitation sessions in the gym, with his return depending on how the recovery progresses. The club report was blunt about the uncertainty too, saying it is unclear when the midfielder will get back on the pitch.

That matters because the end of the season is already compressed. Atletico Madrid have four La Liga games left, starting with Celta Vigo on Saturday at the Riyadh Air Metropolitano and finishing against Villarreal on May 24. Their league position also gives the injury extra weight: they sit fourth with 63 points after 34 matches.

The recent results do not offer much cushion either. Atletico Madrid's last five league and Champions League results are WWLLL, and they are coming off a 1-0 defeat to Arsenal in the Champions League semifinal second leg, which ended their run 2-1 on aggregate.

Why this also matters for the USMNT picture

The injury is not only a club issue. Atletico Madrid's report said Cardoso could potentially miss the rest of La Liga this season and the 2026 World Cup this summer, although the timeline remains unclear and there is no definitive return date. That is the part that will concern Mauricio Pochettino most.

Cardoso has already built a useful international profile, with 23 senior caps for the USMNT. Losing him for any stretch now would be a setback for a midfielder who had just reached a key stage of the season with Atletico Madrid.

For Atletico Madrid, the immediate concern is simpler: they need to get through a tight finish without him if the recovery stalls. For Pochettino, the question is whether this is a brief interruption or something that takes a name off the shortlist for longer than anyone wants.

Written by Daniel Hartley with AI-assisted research, cross-checked against 5 outlets. How we work →