Kylian Mbappé is not an injury-prone player, but he hasn’t had the chance to prove it in recent weeks. In one and a half seasons at Real Madrid, he played in almost every game, scored with a regularity that few strikers in the club’s history could boast, and his fitness generally did not make the news. The question is not what will fail, but when. Because during that brief absence, Calendar had a precision on the field that not even Mbappé displayed.
Every time his body begged him to stop, there was a final, a knockout match, a derby in front of him. Look at the chronology. In September 2024, a few months after his long-awaited arrival in the Spanish capital, a muscular injury prevented him from playing in his first derby against Atletico Madrid. The same season also saw the Copa del Rey final against Barcelona. Mbappé was not 100% fit, but was able to travel as planned and come off the bench.
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Madrid drew the line with a loss during the transition period that ended at the Club World Cup in America, where the Frenchman suffered a further blow. Specifically, he was taken to the hospital due to gastroenteritis, lost several kilograms, and missed all group stage matches of the summer’s most anticipated tournament. His body has once again chosen the worst possible moment.
The script got even crueler this season. During a league match against Celta last December, he began to see signs of concern in his left knee. A few days later, Manchester City visited the Bernabéu in the group stage of the Champions League, and Mbappé didn’t give a single effort despite losing and being on the bench. Just at the end of the year, a diagnosis revealed that he had sprained his knee ligaments, and what followed was a picture of an athlete battling his competitive genes. He missed the Super Cup semi-final against Atlético and ended up playing 14 minutes in the final, when Barça were within reach of the trophy. Once again, the finals were left hanging in the balance. Another image of Mbappé’s wasted efforts.
round trip
We argue that it is the direction, not the frequency, that makes this story unique. Mbappe returned and played an important role, scoring regularly in La Liga, traveling to Lisbon for the round of 16 first leg against Benfica. Then he went to Pamplona and played for El Sadar until the end. That was his last performance. He was unable to avoid discomfort during training ahead of the second leg against Portugal, and tests confirmed that the injury was still present. The club deemed him too risky to play in the second leg. Now, after returning from France, Mbappe is once again a major absentee as Manchester City await their Champions League Round of 16 match at the Estadio Santiago Bernabéu.
A potential return is imminent with the second leg at the Etihad Stadium on March 17, but the message from the club is one of caution rather than hope. With the World Cup just around the corner and my knee at its limit, no one is rushing anything. “It’s getting better every day,” Arbeloa reiterated. What is known is that Mbappé is already running on the grass in Valdebebas, and Madrid fans are clinging to that image as if they have found the light at the end of the tunnel. Because if ever there was an opportunity for his presence to make a difference, this is it.
