The past few weeks have been a roller-coaster ride for Real Madrid starlet Joan Martinez. The 16-year-old defender was called up for pre-season with the senior team, then named in the squad for the US tour where he made his unofficial debut and impressed.
Back in Spain after the tour, Martinez continued in the first-team dynamics and was set to be included in the squad for the UEFA Super Cup clash until calamity struck.
The 16-year-old Spanish starlet suffered a serious ACL injury during training last week that has now sidelined him for at least six months.
Mbappe’s promise to Joan Martinez
An ACL injury is never easy and considering that Martinez is just 16, it will have had a greater impact on the youngster’s mind.
However, MARCA reports that the teenage defender has been receiving a lot of support from the senior team members at Real Madrid.
One source of support for Martinez happens to be marquee summer signing Kylian Mbappe. Indeed, according to the report, the 25-year-old French superstar personally reached out to the young prospect after his injury.
The former PSG forward, who has already integrated himself well at Madrid, offered encouragement to Martinez and put himself at the youngster’s disposal for anything he might need.
On top of that Mbappe also made a promise to Martinez, saying: “We’ll play together.”
Apart from Mbappe, Antonio Rudiger is also said to have been a source of great support to Martinez.
Reports last week indicated that the German accompanied the teenager to the hospital for his medical tests and then back to his home.
Meanwhile, Thibaut Courtois was the one who first noticed the youngster’s injury and was the first to ask him if he was OK and the first to tell him to stop immediately when the defender told him the sensations he had.
The Belgian then ordered Martinez to stop and alerted the doctors, ensuring that the teenager did not further exacerbate his condition.