Spanish football giants Real Madrid announced on Monday that midfielder Rafael Van der Vaart will be out of action for between two and three weeks, DPA reported.
The Dutch playmaker tore a muscle in his left calf in Sunday's 2-0 home win over Mallorca, and limped off after just 20 minutes.
The injury comes just when Van der Vaart has managed to convince coach Manuel Pellegrin of his usefulness, after starting the season on the subs' bench.
The Mallorca win maintained Real's perfect home record and kept them two points behind leaders Barcelona, who won 5-0 away to Tenerife on Sunday.