The serious injury Maldonado suffered in November while playing for the Chilean national team in a friendly against Slovakia is unlikely to keep the midfielder out of the 2010 World Cup in South Africa. At least that's what Flamengo's doctor, José Luiz Runco, believes. He explained that he will try to get the player fit for the end of March. This will then be up to the medical staff to approve the athlete.

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"The player is aware that time is short, but we are working to ensure he can return to playing for Flamengo soon. Afterwards, it will be up to the Chilean national team's medical department to assess whether he is fit," Runco said in an interview with the Chilean news website La Tercera.

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The player is currently in Chile to spend the holidays with his family. However, he is expected to return to Rio de Janeiro in early January to resume treatment. The midfielder has been working on strengthening the injured area.

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"Maldonado is doing well. He traveled to Chile for Christmas and New Year's. He's currently doing muscle strengthening exercises. The injured area is recovering well, and we're going to begin the final phase of treatment," he concluded.

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Maldonado was one of Flamengo's key players during the Brazilian Championship. He and defender Alvaro arrived during the competition. The duo quickly integrated into coach Andrade's system. The midfielder ended up injured in the final stretch of the National Championship, but the team didn't miss him and went on to win their sixth title.