November 5
"Mourinho is handling things excellently."
A Real Madrid star has raised concerns regarding his health following the team's Champions League match against Greece's AEK Athens this past Wednesday.
Real Madrid continued its winning streak—both domestically and in continental competition—by securing a hard-fought 3–2 victory away against AEK Athens on Wednesday evening, as part of the fourth round of the Champions League.
Éder Militão’s 90-minute appearance was one of the highlights of Real Madrid’s match in Athens.
The Brazilian center-back had not played a full match since April 15, in a Champions League encounter against Bayern Munich. He has since spent six months on the sidelines due to injury, and he must now gradually regain his physical fitness.
Speaking to Real Madrid’s official channel after the match, Militão said: "I feel good, though I am experiencing some significant pain. I’m happy to be back and able to do what I love so much—after a six-month absence—and to be able to play for 90 minutes. We all need to be ready, as we have many matches ahead of us. The manager is handling things excellently."
The manager himself admitted that they took a bit of a risk with him: "With Militão, we took a slight risk by starting him after such a long time out."
He added: "Although Militão had a somewhat difficult start in terms of reaching full speed and finding the rhythm of the game, he settled in afterward and delivered a very good performance."
The Brazilian player also spoke about Vinícius in an interview with a Spanish broadcaster, stating: "He is always an optimistic person. Things aren't going quite as he’d like right now, but he never stops working. I think everyone can see that he keeps trying—it’s just that, unfortunately, the goals aren't coming."
He concluded: "But I believe he still contributes—and contributes significantly. He is a very important player for our team. I’m confident that, in time, he will overcome this run of bad luck. He is someone who deserves a lot, and I believe he will come back stronger."
