Chadi Riad's Season Ends After ACL Tear

Crystal Palace have been rocked by the news that Chadi Riad will miss the rest of the season after tearing his anterior cruciate ligament, a brutal setback for the Morocco international just as his career seemed to be gathering pace.

Medical tests this week confirmed the worst. According to the Daily Mail, scans revealed a torn cruciate ligament, sustained during Palace’s match against Everton. Riad went down in the 70th minute and left the pitch on a stretcher, his distress telling its own story long before the diagnosis arrived.

For the 21-year-old, the injury reopens an old wound. It is the second serious knee problem of this kind in his career. His first season at Palace, after a £12 million move from Barcelona, was already interrupted by a similar setback, forcing him into a long spell on the sidelines when he was still trying to adapt to English football.

The contrast with last season could hardly be sharper. Over the closing months of the campaign, Riad forced his way back into the picture, earned regular minutes and ended the year on a high. He started the UEFA Conference League final and helped Palace lift the trophy against Rayo Vallecano, a night that seemed to signal the start of something bigger.

This season was supposed to build on that platform. Riad arrived for pre-season determined to secure a permanent place in the starting XI, armed with a European medal and the trust of the coaching staff. One awkward moment against Everton has torn up that script.

His absence now leaves Palace’s backline under fresh scrutiny. The club had already moved to strengthen at centre-back, bringing in Axel Disasi on loan from Chelsea and pushing ahead with a deal for Joel Ordóñez from Club Brugge. Those signings now look less like luxury depth and more like necessities.

For Riad, it is another long road back. For Palace, it is a test of how quickly a reshaped defence can hold together without a player they expected to grow into a cornerstone of their future.