Manuel Neuer suffered a broken foot in Bayern Munich's Champions League defeat at Real Madrid and looks set to miss the rest of the season.
The goalkeeper received a fracture to his left foot in extra-time of the 4-2 loss at the Bernabeu, which condemned the visitors to a 6-3 aggregate defeat in the quarter-final.
Neuer, who last month underwent what was described by the club as a minor operation on his left foot, picked up this latest injury during the build-up to Cristiano Ronaldo's third goal, which put Madrid 3-2 up on the night.
Initial tests have revealed the damage, with Bayern saying in a statement he would " undergo a thorough examination on arrival in Munich prior to a decision on the appropriate treatment".
Bayern's statement did not say how long the Germany international would be out for, but he will in all likelihood not play again this season.
C hief executive Karl-Heinz Rummenigge said at the team's post-match banquet in Madrid: "Manuel Neuer has injured himself badly, he will be out for eight weeks."
That diagnosis would rule him out of the remaining five matches of the Bundesliga season - not a huge blow given his club boast an eight-point lead at the top of the standings.
More significantly, he could miss the DFB-Pokal semi-final against Borussia Dortmund later this month and a possible final against either Borussia Monchengladbach or Eintracht Frankfurt on May 27.
Bayern, who trailed 2-1 from the home leg against Madrid, made a fight of it on Tuesday night as they levelled the tie at 3-3 after 90 minutes to force extra-time.
However, the loss of midfielder Arturo Vidal to a harsh red card in the 84th minute gave Madrid the advantage, which they ruthlessly pressed home during the additional 30 minutes, scoring three times without reply.
Rummenigge felt the referee played a key contribution.
"Our team gave it everything, you mustn't forget that some of our players had knocks," he said on the club website.
"If you look at the displays turned in by (Jerome) Boateng, (Robert) Lewandowski (both of whom had faced races to be fit for the clash due to thigh and shoulder injuries respectively) or Manuel Neuer I can only take my hat off.
"It was magnificent football, but unfortunately the refereeing decisions went against us.
"The red card was a heavy blow of course. But if you blame the team you've seen the wrong match. It was a superb game."
Bayern coach Carlo Ancelotti concurred, adding: "Some decisions by the referee ultimately decided the match. I know it can happen in football, but not so often at this level. We were in control until the red card."
Source: PA
