Atletico Madrid defender has degree and national order of merit from home country | OneFootball

Atletico Madrid defender Reinildo Mandava has recovered from his anterior cruciate ligament injury, but is yet to return to action, 10 months after going down against Real Madrid. The upshot is that he is likely to miss another month of action, with the African Cup of Nations beginning shortly.

As outlined by Atleti Universe, Mandava could miss between four and ten games depending on how far Mozambique get. The 29-year-old had recovered after eight months out, but has only seen 17 minutes of action since, coming against Sevilla in Los Rojiblancos’ final game before the Christmas break. He could miss between 4 and 10 games, depending on how far Atletico go in the Spanish Supercup and Copa del Rey.

Reinildo could hardly refuse the call of his national team though, who he has captained. As Marca detail, Reinildo is a national hero. Earning a Sporting Order of Merit from President Filipe Jacinto Nyusi, which he was awarded in 2021. Mandava has also graduated with a degree in economics, and following a 2019 cyclone, he helped finance the reconstruction of a hospital in his native Beira – the same in which his mother had passed four years earlier. Still considered close to his roots, Reinildo will lead his nation into battle against Cape Verde, Egypt and Ghana in the group stages in the Ivory Coast.