Kylian Mbappe Injury: France Star Provides Update After Fitness Scare vs. Morocco

Mbappé was forced off with 15 minutes of France’s World Cup quarterfinal left to play.

Kylian Mbappé was forced off for France against Morocco. | Harry Langer/DeFodi Images/Getty Images

Kylian Mbappé was quick to downplay any injury concerns despite limping out of France’s World Cup quarterfinal victory over Morocco on Thursday.

The Real Madrid livewire is a marked man this summer. Didier Deschamps admitted that he tasked two players with acting as the captain’s bodyguards during the closing stages of a particularly feisty encounter with Paraguay in the round of 16. Morocco was nowhere as aggressive, but Mbappé still didn’t emerge entirely unscathed.

Issa Diop, Mbappé’s former teammate for France’s youth teams, was beaten by the striker’s blur of feet midway through the second half and proceeded to wipe him out. The 27-year-old remained on the pitch for another 15 minutes, teeing up Ousmane Dembélé’s strike which sealed the win for France, before sinking to the turf on the halfway line.

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There wasn’t a single player near Mbappé when he dropped to his back in the center circle, prompting a break in play so that he could be replaced by Crystal Palace striker Jean-Philippe Mateta.

Morocco couldn’t muster a scare during those final 15 minutes, but the sight of Mbappé getting forced off was far more frightening. Fortunately, those concerns were quickly allayed.

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What Injury Does Kylian Mbappe Have?

Kylian Mbappé was forced off against Morocco. | Erick W. Rasco/Sports Illustrated

“I’m doing well; I took a knock to the ankle, but I’m fine,” Mbappé told French media outlet M6 shortly after the final whistle. “JP [Mateta] was in better shape than me to play the last 15 minutes.”

It appears as though the damage was sustained during that swift spin away from Diop in the second half. While the collision was clearly painful—Deschamps confirmed as much after the match—there are many more severe ailments which Mbappé could have suffered.

The durable French forward endured a relatively injury riddled campaign with Real Madrid, although his chief complaint was a lingering knee problem. That specific issue—which Mbappé continued to play through during a destructive winter—was not helped by the club’s medical department reportedly scanning the wrong knee when first judging the damage.

Mbappé may be advised to find a magic marker to make sure the correct ankle is scrutinized.

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Will Kylian Mbappe Be Fit for France’s World Cup Semifinal?

France was in jubilant mood for good reason. | Erick W. Rasco/Sports Illustrated

Mbappé didn’t entertain the possibility of missing France’s semifinal against one of Belgium or Spain for a second. The fleet-footed forward has five days to prepare for the fixture in Dallas, which should be plenty of time to shake off this knock.

That’s naturally bad news for any opponent coming up against Mbappé in this kind of form. The joint-top scorer this summer boasts a staggering return of 20 goals from 20 World Cup appearances. The perennial record breaker is the man for the big occasion, netting the winning goal in eight different tournament appearances—more than any other player in the 96-year history of the competition.

Dembélé is certainly hopeful of another outing from France’s talisman. “We’re expecting even more goals from Kylian,” the reigning Ballon d’Or holder warned.

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