Chadi Riad Ruled Out for Season After ACL Tear

Crystal Palace have been hit with a brutal early-season blow after Morocco international Chadi Riad was ruled out for the rest of the campaign with a torn anterior cruciate ligament.

Medical tests this week confirmed the worst. As reported by the Daily Mail, scans showed a ruptured cruciate ligament, ending the 21-year-old defender’s season almost as soon as it began.

He suffered the injury in Palace’s match against Everton, going down in clear distress before leaving the pitch on a stretcher in the 70th minute. Hopes of a precautionary substitution vanished once the results came back.

For Riad, it is a painful repeat. This is the second serious knee injury of his career, another long spell on the sidelines after he had already missed significant time in his first season at Selhurst Park. Palace paid £12 million to bring him in from Barcelona, backing his potential as a long-term pillar of their defence.

Last season finally seemed to justify that faith. Riad forced his way into the side over the closing months, earned regular minutes and ended the campaign on a high, starting the UEFA Conference League final and helping Palace lift the trophy against Rayo Vallecano. It felt like a launchpad.

Now it feels like a reset. Riad came into this season determined to cement his place in the starting XI, carrying momentum, confidence and expectation. One awkward moment, one twist of the knee, and that entire plan has been ripped up.

The injury leaves Palace’s coaching staff with an unwelcome problem at the back. The club had already moved to strengthen their defence in the transfer window, bringing in Axel Disasi on loan from Chelsea and closing in on Joel Ordóñez from Club Brugge. Those deals now shift from smart depth to urgent necessity.

Riad faces another long road back. Palace must find a way to move on without him.