Ferland Mendy has chosen his path forward.
After weighing multiple options in recent days, the Real Madrid left-back has decided to place himself under the care of renowned French surgeon Bertrand Sonnery-Cottet — the same specialist who recently treated Kylian Mbappé’s knee injury during the much-discussed trip to Paris earlier this season. Sonnery-Cottet is widely regarded as one of the leading experts in sports traumatology, particularly when it comes to knee-related injuries in elite athletes.
Mendy’s decision comes after another frustrating physical setback in what has been a difficult stretch of years for the French defender. The 30-year-old reportedly believes he can return within approximately four months, although some optimistic projections suggest a recovery closer to three months could be possible.
Before settling on Sonnery-Cottet, Mendy also explored the possibility of undergoing treatment with Finnish surgeon Lasse Lempainen, the specialist who operated on Éder Militão. Lempainen has built a strong reputation for handling muscle injuries, while Mendy also had prior experience with Dr. Manuel Leyes in Madrid, who performed surgery on him just over a year ago.
Despite the recurrence of injury issues, Mendy remains determined to continue at Real Madrid. The defender is under contract until 2028 and has no intention of walking away from the challenge. Internally, he remains confident he can fight his way back into the team once again.
The biggest concern surrounding this latest injury is that it represents a relapse, which naturally complicates the rehabilitation timeline and increases the caution around his recovery process. Still, Mendy’s camp remains optimistic that he will be available again sometime early next season.
