Kylian Mbappe Reveals Injury Truth—And There Is Still Cause for Concern at Real Madrid

The Frenchman has not started a game for Los Blancos since Feb. 21.

A knee injury has been a major problem for Kylian Mbappé. | Ryan Crockett/DeFodi Images/Getty Images

Real Madrid star Kylian Mbappé addressed the “false” speculation surrounding his knee injury in recent weeks, taking aim at those who reported on it “without having any basis in fact.”

The France international missed three weeks of action for Los Blancos to finally deal with a nagging issue plaguing his knee since December. Rumors swirled regarding the severity of the injury, with some reports claiming Mbappé needed surgery while others prescribed him a few weeks rest.

Now that he returned to the pitch, appearing off the bench against Manchester City and Atlético Madrid last week, the 27-year-old is setting the record straight about his injury.

“My knee is fine, much better,” Mbappé told a promotional event in France, where he will soon join up with Didier Deschamps’s men for the March international break.

“It’s going quite well, and I know there's been a lot of speculation about it and some false things have been said. It’s the life of a top athlete, and we’re used to people saying things without verifying them or having any basis in fact.”

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Real Madrid Still Sweating Over Mbappé’s Fitness

Kylian Mbappé saw French medical specialists. | David S. Bustamante/Real Madrid/Getty Images

Despite Mbappé’s assurances that his knee is “fine,” Real Madrid will be keeping a close eye on him over the next two weeks. The forward is in line to represent Les Bleus against Brazil and Colombia during the March international window.

The safer option would have seen Mbappé remain in the Spanish capital, avoiding any potential risk of re-aggravating his injury while on international duty, but with the 2026 World Cup swiftly approaching, such luxuries are not extended to France’s captain.

Real Madrid boss Álvaro Arbeloa gave the green light for Mbappé to join up with his national team, viewing the opportunity as a way for his leading goalscorer to “get more minutes” and “return better prepared” for the final stretch of the season.

It goes without saying that France will likely proceed with caution when it comes to Mbappé. Although Deschamps will aim to treat the upcoming international friendlies as World Cup dress rehearsals, he will have the summer’s tournament at the forefront of his mind—making sure his best player is healthy and avoids another injury setback likely trumps having him log 180 minutes in March.

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Mbappé’s Return Shakes Up Real Madrid’s Flying Form

Real Madrid are on a five-game winning streak. | Victor Carretero/Real Madrid/Getty Images

Real Madrid have looked back to their best over the last three weeks. The team eliminated Manchester City from the Champions League 5–1 on aggregate, defeated Atlético Madrid 3–2 and enacted revenge on Celta Vigo and Elche.

In their last five games across all competitions, Los Blancos have found the back of the net 14 times, only conceded five goals and collected five wins—all the while Mbappé was unavailable or only featuring off the bench.

Bringing Mbappé back into the fold gives Arbeloa his best goalscorer back at the most important point of the season. Yet the return risks the team regressing to its struggles that existed with the Frenchman in the attack.

There was too much focus on Mbappé, the team always looking to supply the forward with service as opposed to spreading the ball. Vinicius Junior, who has been sensational as of late, played second fiddle to his superstar partner up top and struggled to take over games. If Mbappé didn’t score, no one did.

The ex-Paris Saint-Germain man also likely remains disinterested in pressing or making runs into the box, two core improvements Real Madrid have made during their winning streak. The pressure will be on Arbeloa to seamlessly integrate Mbappé into his new system without seeing a drop off in the team’s form.

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