‘He’s Out’—Kylian Mbappe Raises Alarms With Injury in France Friendly, Zinedine Zidane Gives Update

The superstar forward limped off the pitch on Friday night, instantly causing serious concerns all the way back in Spain’s capital.

Kylian Mbappé was in evident pain. | Ozan Kose/AFP/Getty Images

Kylian Mbappé was withdrawn early in the second half from France’s match against Türkiye after suffering a left knee injury. He will miss the rest of the international window, per a social media update from the team.

France’s captain scored the first goal of the Zinedine Zidane era with Les Bleus but injured himself in the process. Mbappé received the ball on the edge of the box before unleashing a powerful strike to give his side the lead 54 minutes into the contest.

But Mbappé wasn’t even able to celebrate what turned out to be the match-winner, immediately limping and grimacing in pain as he grabbed his left knee. After receiving medical attention on the sidelines, Mbappé momentarily returned to the pitch.

The Real Madrid forward was still in visible pain, though, and eventually fell to the ground and signaled to the bench that he couldn’t continue. Mbappé was replaced by Désiré Doué in the 59th minute, and he limped off the pitch.

Zidane’s France was able to cruise to a 1–0 win, but now all eyes turn to Mbappé’s recovery timeline.

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What Injury Does Kylian Mbappe Have?

Doctors were checking Mbappé’s (middle) left knee. | Ozan Kose/AFP/Getty Images

Nothing looked out of the ordinary in the action of Mbappé’s goal, but he injured the tendon in his left knee, per the France national team.

Mbappé took his hands to his face on the sidelines and then again as he went to the ground before exiting the pitch, grabbing at his left knee constantly and looking concerned.

The severity of the injury still remains unknown and further medical evaluations will certainly follow in the coming hours and days to come to a clear diagnosis. Still, it’s an ominous sign given the 27-year-old’s recent history.

The Frenchman was forced to miss time on two separate occasions with a left knee injury in 2025–26, resulting in him being sidelined for seven matches across all competitions for Real Madrid.

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Zinedine Zidane Offers Worrying Update on Kylian Mbappé Injury

Zinedine Zidane (right) greeted Kylian Mbappé before he headed down the tunnel. | Ahmad Mora/UEFA/Getty Images

Concerns surrounding the severity of Mbappé’s injury only intensified after the match, when Zidane offered a less-than-encouraging update on the status of his superstar forward.

“He’s not doing good, no, he’s not good unfortunately,” Zidane said after the match, via L’Équipe. “Unfortunately, I think it will be necessary for him to return to Madrid. We won’t run any risks. He hyperextended his knee when he took the shot, and it’s not looking like he will be able to continue.

“We won’t run any risks.”

Mbappé will be forced to withdraw from France’s camp with three games remaining in the international window.

Real Madrid will hold their breath while waiting to discover if Mbappé will be forced to spend even more time on the sidelines once club action resumes. The Spanish giants are back in action when they host Villarreal on Oct. 3 in the first of five October matches, none bigger than the first El Clásico of the season away at Barcelona on Oct. 25.

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