Kylian Mbappe says his concerning knee injury is now “truly behind” amid suggestions the setback may have been misdiagnosed after Real Madrid’s medical team accidentally performed an MRI on the wrong leg.
The French forward has given a positive update on his fitness ahead of France’s friendly against Brazil on Thursday, where he is expected to feature after recently returning from injury.
After missing a couple of weeks of action, Mbappe came off the bench in Real Madrid’s victories over Manchester City and Atletico Madrid last week, and has now joined his France teammates in the United States for the international break.
Mbappe Shares Positive Injury News
Real Madrid forwards Kylian Mbappe and Rodrygo
Speaking to French media on Monday, Mbappe reflected on the difficult period of his injury but admitted the setback is “truly behind”:
“There was a lot of frustration, a lot of anger, and then also some anxiety at one point. I had reached a stage where I didn’t know what was wrong with me.
“I didn’t go through that period in the best way. I wasn’t the happiest player in the world. But I’m happy now because it’s truly behind me. It’s all gone.”
The French forward also criticised the “completely baseless” speculation about his setback and the claims he might miss the upcoming World Cup in the United States:
“A lot of people gave a diagnosis, even though until not very long ago I didn’t have one myself. From that point on it was easy to say that everything being said was wrong.
“I heard a lot of things – surgery, that I might not play again, that I wouldn’t be able to play in the World Cup. It was all completely baseless.”
Mbappe’s Knee Injury Misdiagnosed?
Kylian Mbappe poses before the 2023 Ballon d'Or awards
On Tuesday, following Mbappe’s comments, claims from The Athletic suggested the Frenchman’s knee injury was misdiagnosed after Real Madrid’s medical team accidentally performed an MRI on his healthy right knee in December.
Because the scan was on the uninjured knee, it showed no problem, and the 27-year-old went on to play in Real’s next three games before the mistake was realised.
A proper MRI on the left knee reportedly later revealed a partial posterior knee ligament tear. On December 31, Real released a medical report confirming the injury, although it remains unclear how the initial mistake happened.
Despite his struggles on the sidelines, Mbappe has been nothing short of sensational this season, scoring 38 goals and providing six assists in 35 appearances across all competitions.
Real are currently second in La Liga, four points below leaders Barcelona, and are set to face Bayern Munich in the Champions League quarter-finals next month.
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