Eddy Merckx is recovering at home after latest hospital stay

It's been a tough couple of years for Eddy Merckx. The 80-year-old Belgian has been back in hospital to treat a persistent problem with his hip joint, which since the end of 2024 has required no fewer than nine surgical procedures – and significantly curtailed Merckx's usually active lifestyle. The Belgian superstar cyclist had been fitted with a prosthesis, but it was ultimately not a fix – far from it. He's been hospitalised multiple times to treat infection in the joint, and with a replacement prosthesis no longer an option, doctors hope that this latest procedure will bring the issue under control.