Real Madrid star Sergio Ramos models protective mask on Instagram after suffering a brutal broken nose in last weekend’s derby with Atletico Madrid
Spanish defender was left bloodied and bruised after being accidentally booted in the face by Lucas Hernandez
SERGIO RAMOS has modelled a protective mask on Instagram after suffering a brutal broken nose in last weekend's derby with Atletico Madrid.
The Spanish defender, 31, was left bloodied and bruised after being accidentally booted in the face by Lucas Hernandez.
In the immediate aftermath of the collision, Ramos shared a gory image if himself dripping with blood, as many expected him to miss a few weeks of action.
But now, the Spaniard appears to be set for a return to the field much sooner than expected, as he becomes the latest football star to don a protective mask.
Sharing a clip of himself posing in the mask on Instagram, Ramos captioned the looped video: "Work hard, dream big."
After suffering the gruesome injury, Ramos revealed: "I would bleed a thousand times for this badge and this shirt.
"Thanks for your support. I'll be back in no time. #HalaMadrid"
On Tuesday, Ramos followed that post up with an image of himself looking much healthier, flashing a peace symbol to the camera.
He captioned that image: "Little by little. Step by step."
A broken nose tends to heal in around two to three weeks - but Ramos could return sooner thanks to the a protective mask, as has been seen a numbers of times in the past.
Stars such as Cesc Fabregas and Harry Kane are just two recent examples of players rushing back to first-team duty with the aid of some additional protection.
It's perhaps even possible Ramos could play this weekend in La Liga, as Real Madrid desperately aim to close the gap on league-leaders Barcelona.
Zinedine Zidane's Galacticos play Malaga at 3.15pm on Saturday at the Bernabeu.