‘Angry’ Kylian Mbappe Suffers Huge Champions League Blow for Real Madrid

Real Madrid face Manchester City across two legs in the round of 16 in March.

Kylian Mbappé is not happy for a number of reasons. | Omar Arnau/Quality Sport Images/Getty Images

Kylian Mbappé has been reportedly “angered” by Real Madrid’s treatment of his ongoing knee injury which has put his involvement in the first leg of the upcoming Champions League tie against Manchester City very much in doubt.

As long ago as Dec. 7, 2025, Mbappé first flagged an issue with his left knee. Three months on, the club’s manager has changed but the nagging fitness concerns still persist. The Frenchman has pushed through the pain barrier to feature on 12 subsequent occasions for Madrid but has now been forced to miss Madrid’s last two matches.

Mbappé wasn’t even at the Bernabéu to see Vinicius Junior have the last laugh against Benfica last Wednesday night from the stands. Instead, the 27-year-old was consulting a specialist in France having been “not entirely satisfied” with the role Madrid’s medical staff have played in his staccato recovery, per MARCA.

The external consultation was permitted by Madrid in an attempt to accurately identify what exactly is wrong with the star forward. Mbappé’s medial collateral ligament (inner part of the knee) was initially believed to have been the source of his issue, but now reports suggest that his posterior cruciate ligament (back of the knee) is the area of concern.

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Real Madrid’s ‘Main Objective’ for Kylian Mbappé

Real Madrid have some crucial games on the horizon. | Diego Souto/Getty Images

This new diagnosis has led to an updated timeline. Real Madrid’s “main objective” for Mbappé has always been to have him fully fit and firing in time for the Champions League round of 16. Friday’s draw, which paired the club with arch rivals Manchester City, has only heightened that desire.

However, MARCA report that Mbappé is “more likely” to only be fit in time for the second leg on March 17, with his involvement in the first tie at the Bernabéu six days earlier up in the air.

Madrid have already ruled their leading scorer out of Monday’s clash with Getafe while there seems little chance of risking him for Friday’s league meeting with Celta Vigo, who just so happen to be the opponents which inspired this knee injury three months ago.

Manchester City travel to the Spanish capital on Wednesday, March 11 for the latest installment of a rivalry which has been bubbling away for years.

Mbappé was not fit enough to feature when the clubs duked it out in this season’s league phase but has happy memories from last term’s two-legged affair in the playoff round of the competition. After scoring an equalizer at the Etihad, Mbappé notched a hat-trick in Madrid to knock out Pep Guardiola’s side.

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Real Madrid’s Upcoming Fixtures

Date	Competition	Opponent
March 2	La Liga	Getafe (H)
March 6	La Liga	Celta Vigo (A)
March 11	Champions League	Man City (H)
March 14	La Liga	Elche (H)
March 17	Champions League	Man City (A)
March 22	La Liga	Atlético Madrid (H)

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Kylian Mbappé’s Record Before and After Injury

Kylian Mbappé has still been among the goals. | Filipe Amorim/AFP/Getty Images

It’s unclear whether Mbappé or Madrid’s medical team have been behind the player’s continued involvement throughout these injury issues. There was some suggestion that chasing down Cristiano Ronaldo’s calendar-year scoring record played a role in Mbappé’s participation in the Copa del Rey round of 32 against lower league Talavera.

The ambitious frontman duly equaled Ronaldo’s landmark and Madrid felt his absence when he wasn’t included in the next round of the Spanish cup competition, which they lost to lowly Albacete.

While Mbappé has continued to score in Europe during this injury-affected spell, his record in La Liga has taken a dip. Yet, while his ratio of non-penalty goals has dropped, the quality and quantity of chances he was finding for himself remained just as high.

The pain has ultimately gotten to a point where he cannot continue to get onto the pitch to miss these opportunities.

Statistic (La Liga, per 90)	Pre-Knee Injury	Post-Knee Injury
Games	15	8
Non-Penalty Goals	0.82	0.38
NP Expected Goals	0.67	0.64
Shots	4.8	5.0
Assists	0.27	0
Expected Assists	0.37	0.14
Key Passes	2.9	1.4

Data via UnderStat.

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