It all began on 11 October, when Mahamadou Diarra suffered a parameniscitis on his right knee during a match between Mali and Chad. He reappeared on 30 October with Real Madrid for the King's Cup fixture against Real Unión, but he got injured again on 30 November. The Mali player underwent surgery recently and will miss six to nine months due to a serious knee injury.

Mahamadou Diarra has a Grade IV chondral injury on the inner and outer femoral condyle, and on the lateral tibia plateau. He also has a complex tear on the outer meniscus.