KLast week, Ilian Mbappé decided to travel to France to consult several specialists about a sprained left knee that he has been suffering from since December and is still having problems. The striker missed the important Champions League game against Benfica and, due to his lack of improvement, opted to look for a specialist in his home country. As such, he was not at the Santiago Bernabéu during the Madrid vs. Benfica match, instead using that day to travel to his home country with the club’s permission.
The player is not completely satisfied with Real Madrid’s medical services and believes that they have not been able to provide an effective solution over the past three months. This situation led to a decline in his performance and forced him to be in and out of the team frequently. The situation has angered Mbappé and his inner circle, who are already seeking a solution at home.
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Both the players and the coaching staff knew before the match against Benfica that it was time to make a firm decision to prevent the injury from lasting longer than necessary. The priority is to ensure the knee discomfort is resolved, find the cause of the problem and get the striker back to his best version at a crucial period of the season. A week ago, questions arose about the cause of the Real Madrid striker’s pain and bad feelings. In the game against Celta on December 7th, he withdrew with a problem with his medial and lateral ligaments, but it cannot be ruled out that his posterior cruciate ligament may be causing the problem this time. So Mbappe sought a new opinion outside of Real Madrid’s medical service.
Mbappé and Real Madrid’s intentions were clear when they decided to take a break last week. We are 100% ready for the next round of the Champions League. The first leg of the Champions League will be played on March 10th or 11th, and the second leg on March 17th or 18th. The club will want to have their great attacking squad in full shape for the important draw, but these days no one can guarantee the Frenchman’s appearance. The deadline is more than fair and he is likely to be ready for the second leg rather than the first
3 months without a clear solution
Mbappe began feeling discomfort in his left knee on December 7 and has been in and out of the team ever since, but the problem ultimately persisted, as did some questionable decisions by both the player and medical staff.
December 7: Mbappé felt discomfort towards the end of the first half and limped off the pitch at half-time. He started in the second half and finished the game exhausted, on a night in which the Parisians lost 2-0.
10 December: Mbappé is included in the squad for the match between Real Madrid and Manchester City, but is not fit to play and remains on the bench for the entire match without playing a single minute.
17 December: Mbappe made another appearance on the 14th, playing 90 minutes against Alaves, and then played 90 minutes against Talavera in the Copa del Rey. Cristiano’s goal record for the year would be equaled with two goals that night, but it was due to this effort…
December 31: In the last training session of the year, Madrid announce that Mbappé is suffering from a knee injury, with France indicating that the player will be out for three to four weeks…
January 11: However, just 10 days after the injury was announced, Mbappe re-appeared in the Super Cup final against Barcelona. It is said that the player wanted to take part in the final to help his team and to save Xabi Alonso, who was ultimately sent off for climbing on the ropes.
January 14: Arbeloa is left out of the squad for the game against Albacete due to a knee problem and more rest. Madrid were eliminated in the Copa del Rey and Mbappé returned to playing normally, although he did not show the same physical ability on the pitch. His finish remained intact and he scored nine goals in the next six games (Levante, Monaco, Villarreal, Benfica, Rayo and Valencia).
February 14th: Another break. Mbappe will remain on the bench for the entire match against Real Sociedad as his problem persists. He will return in three days’ time against Benfica…
February 23: Mbappe says “enough is enough”. The Frenchman experienced a serious recurrence of the discomfort and decided to stop and take action to finally resolve his knee problem. The striker, with the club’s permission, will visit his home country to consult with other experts…
