(dpa) - Borussia Dortmund defender Dede will be sidelined for around six months after a scan confirmed he had torn a cruciate ligament in his left knee, the club said Sunday.
The 30-year-old Brazilian twisted his knee in a tackle during Dortmund's 3-2 win at Bayer Leverkusen on Saturday in the team's opening match of the Bundesliga season.
A club spokesman said a scan confirmed an anterior cruciate ligament tear. Dede will undergo surgery on the knee on Monday.
The injury took some of the glow off Dortmund's victory in coach Juergen Klopp's first league game in charge.
Dortmund sport director Michael Zorc said: "This is a hard blow for us because he is one of our leading players."
Egyptian striker Mohamed Zidan meanwhile signed a four-year contract after passing a medical examination in a transfer deal with SV Hamburg.
In return, Hamburg have signed Dortmund striker Mladen Petric on a four-year deal. Reports say Dortmund will also receive 4.5 million euros (6.6 million dollars) for the Croatia striker as part of the transfer package.