Tag: Kylian Mbappe

Real Madrid said that Kylian Mbappe had suffered a knee sprain, delivering a blow to their bid to reel in Liga leaders Barcelona.

 “After the tests carried out today on our player Kylian Mbappe by Real Madrid’s medical services, he was diagnosed with a sprain in his left knee. Awaiting evolution,” the club said in a statement.

Real Madrid did not indicate how long the 27-year-old striker would be out for, but a source close to the France superstar told AFP that he would be absent for at least three weeks.

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Mbappe is therefore a major doubt for Sunday’s league match at home to Real Betis, Los Merengues’ first after the winter break as they trail Barcelona by four points.

He could also miss the Spanish Super Cup semi-final against arch-rivals Atletico Madrid in Saudi Arabia on January 8, as well as a league fixture against Levante and a Champions League clash with former club Monaco.

Mbappe has enjoyed a stellar 2025, equalling Cristiano Ronaldo’s club record 59 goals in a calendar year, and has at times carried Real Madrid, relieving some pressure on under-fire coach Xabi Alonso.

Kylian Mbappe scored a hat-trick and reached 60 Champions League goals as Real Madrid thrashed Kairat Almaty in Kazakhstan.

The France captain slotted a penalty into the bottom corner early on after home goalkeeper Sherkhan Kalmurza came flying out of his area and took out Franco Mastantuono.

He doubled his tally in the 52nd minute when he latched on to Thibaut Courtois’ ball over the top and dinked it over Kalmurza.

In the 67th minute Valeri Gromyko appeared to be fouled by Dani Ceballos, with a penalty awarded to Kairat, but the decision was overturned after a VAR check.

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Despite missing an excellent chance to seal his hat-trick when he sent the ball wide with the goal gaping, Mbappe did eventually finish from close range to complete his treble.

Substitutes Eduardo Camavinga and Brahim Diaz both scored to complete the rout in the closing stages.

Camavinga headed home from close range and Diaz slotted into the bottom corner from Gonzalo Garcia’s pass as Kairat fell to their heaviest defeat in European competition.

It was a much-needed win for Xabi Alonso’s side after a 5-2 humbling by city rivals Atletico Madrid in La Liga on Saturday.

Mbappe’s goals were his 58th, 59th and 60th in the Champions League and meant he overtook former Bayern Munich striker Thomas Muller to become the sixth highest scorer in the competition’s history.

France captain Kylian Mbappe said top athletes are still reluctant to speak freely about mental health because they fear being judged, adding that his passion for the game is what keeps him from becoming disillusioned with football.

In a wide-ranging interview with L’Equipe Magazine, the 26-year-old forward spoke candidly about the pressure he faces and the perception that elite players cannot show vulnerability.

 “The complexity is that people struggle with it. You’re not supposed to show it,” Mbappe said, when asked about cyclists such as four-time Tour de France champion Tadej Pogacar acknowledging moments of distress during competition. “If he had said it at the start, he would have been torn apart. But when you win, you are almost untouchable. If you lose a match and say you’re tired, people say it’s because you played badly. Even if you felt that way before.”

The Real Madrid striker, who netted twice in two World Cup qualifying wins against Ukraine and Iceland, said he held himself to the most demanding standards.

 “I’ve never wanted to accept failure, so I don’t mind if people reproach me for it. I’m very hard on myself, more than most people are, so I’m at peace with that,” he said.

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Mbappe also highlighted the fine line between public expectation and private emotions.

“At home, I can say it. Or when the context is right. If I win the World Cup, you come three days later and ask me, I can say it. But after a defeat? People won’t accept it,” he said.

He added: “Honestly, if I didn’t have this passion, football would have disgusted me a long time ago.”

The interview also touched on his career trajectory with France, Paris St Germain and now Real Madrid, but Mbappe insisted the toughest battles are often internal.

“You don’t have the right to lose, to be wrong. But that’s also why people hold you in high esteem — because you accept it all, because you stay resilient and always want to win,” he said.

France captain Kylian Mbappe said that top footballers do not necessarily play too many matches but do need more time off in a crowded schedule which offers little time for a break.

 “It is not only a matter of the number of games, but more about recovery. We just need a bit more rest, time off for our bodies to regenerate and recover from the number of matches we have to play,” Mbappe told reporters in Poland, where France begin their 2026 World Cup qualifying campaign against Ukraine today..

Mbappe played 59 matches last season in his first campaign with Real Madrid, from making his debut in the UEFA Super Cup on August 14 last year to the Club World Cup semi-final defeat by Paris Saint-Germain on July 9.

He also made six appearances for France in that time, and was back in action for Real in La Liga as this season started on August 19.

If France qualify for the World Cup, it could be mid-July next year before he gets any significant time off again.

 “Do we play too much? No, my thinking has evolved,” Mbappe insisted.

 “I did think that, but I don’t anymore, because I can understand that the people watching on their sofa think we earn a lot of money and so we should play.”

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Mbappe, who scored 44 goals for the Spanish giants last season, admitted that the introduction of the Club World Cup had hugely increased the demands on players.

 “We were only just getting to the quarter-finals while teams were already starting to play friendly matches. They had started the 2025⁄26 season while it was still 2024⁄25 for us,” he said.

 “I watch a lot of matches but I can’t remember seeing a player – even the greatest of all time – play 60 matches in a season and always be at their best.”

He added: “It is a matter which needs to be looked into, because everyone will come out as a winner. People will see games of a higher quality.”

After playing Ukraine, France entertain Iceland in Paris next Tuesday. They will also face Azerbaijan in qualifying Group D, the winners of which will qualify directly for the World Cup.

An investigation has been opened into potentially fraudulent payments made by Kylian Mbappe to five police officers assigned to protect the French national football team, the public prosecutor’s office has  told AFP.

The probe comes after a tip-off from the French finance ministry’s anti-money laundering unit, which reported “unusual financial transactions” benefitting the five police officers.

 “Investigations, which are by their very nature complex in the case of financial transactions, are underway in order to establish whether any criminal offences have been committed,” the public prosecutor’s office said.

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French investigative weekly Le Canard Enchaine on Wednesday reported that the France national team captain’s money was used to “pay under the table for private services”, to the tune of 180,300 euros ($209,000).

The Real Madrid striker’s entourage issued a statement saying “everything was done in compliance with the rules”.

It added that Mbappe had “always chosen to donate in full his bonuses” for playing for France at international level.

“It’s what he did after the 2022 World Cup, with complete transparency,” the statement continued, saying the money went to charitable organisations and security personnel that accompanied the team.

Kylian Mbappe has accused his former club Paris Saint-Germain of moral harassment in a legal filing, the Paris prosecutor’s office told AFP on Thursday as it confirmed an investigation had been opened.

France captain Mbappe is also embroiled in a court battle with PSG to obtain the 55 million euros ($64.4 million) in unpaid wages and bonuses he says the club owes him.

Mbappe’s latest grievance is related to the way he was treated by PSG at the start of the 2023-24 season, when he was made to train with players the club were trying to offload.

He believes he was sidelined by the club after refusing to agree a new contract, a practice which has also affected other footballers and prompted the French players’ union to lodge a complaint last year.

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Mbappe was not invited to a 2023 pre-season tour of Asia and missed the first game of that season but was later restored to the team after holding talks with the club.

The 26-year-old joined Real Madrid last summer after seven seasons with PSG.

He scored 256 goals in 308 games for the French club, who won the Champions League last month for the first time following the striker’s departure.

Kylian Mbappe returned to training on Wednesday after missing Real Madrid’s first two matches at the Club World Cup in the United States due to illness, the Spanish giants confirmed to AFP.

The French superstar was taken to hospital last Thursday for tests and treatment after suffering gastroenteritis, before later being released.

He played no part in Real’s opening game at the tournament, a 1-1 draw with Saudi side Al-Hilal in Miami, or the 3-1 defeat of Mexico’s Pachuca at the weekend.

Coach Xabi Alonso did indicate after the latter game that Mbappe was on the mend, saying: “He is doing better, he is recovering.”

Real posted images of Mbappe in training on Wednesday on their website, as the squad worked out at their Florida base before travelling north in the afternoon to Philadelphia.

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That is where Madrid will take on Red Bull Salzburg of Austria on Thursday in their last Group H match and will be looking for a victory which will confirm their progress to the last 16 in first place in the section.

A draw can also take them through to the next round, with Manchester City and Juventus the possible opponents in the last 16.

Mbappe has scored 43 goals in 56 appearances since joining Madrid from Paris Saint-Germain last year. His last game was for France in a 2-0 win away to Germany in the UEFA Nations League on June 8.

Kylian Mbappe bagged a goal and an assist as France beat Germany 2-0 in the Nations League bronze-medal match in Stuttgart.

Germany dominated the opening half but Mbappe provided the breakthrough just before half-time, carving a shot through a crowded penalty box to bring up his 50^th  goal in France colours.

Late in the second, with the hosts desperately looking for an equaliser, Mbappe snatched a poor Germany pass on the half-way line and rampaged forward, before setting up Michael Olise.

The French showed their incredible depth, while Mbappe again demonstrated his finishing and pace.

For Germany, who lost two straight matches for the first time since 2023, questions remain over how much they have truly improved under Julian Nagelsmann.

In the lead-up to Sunday’s encounter, France coach Didier Deschamps admitted the Nations League clash with old rivals Germany “isn’t the most important game for us,” with a clear focus on next year’s World Cup.

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Deschamps made eight changes from the semi-final loss to Spain, with only captain Mbappe, goalie Mike Maignan and midfield veteran Adrien Rabiot keeping their starting spots.

Nagelsmann also rotated heavily, making four changes including bringing striker Niclas Fuellkrug back into the starting XI.

The Germans had a wealth of chances in the opening half. Karim Adeyemi won a penalty but it was overturned by VAR for diving with. Florian Wirtz hit the post.

Mbappe struck just before half-time. The Real Madrid man collected a pass which floated over the 1.77-metre tall Joshua Kimmich’s head, took a touch and hammered a shot home with his preferred right foot.

Nagelsmann replaced rookie striker Nick Woltemade with Deniz Undav at half-time. The move seemed to have paid immediate dividends Undavhad the ball in the net, but his effort was chalked off for a foul in the build-up by Fuellkrug.

Germany dominated possession and field position, but that left them vulnerable on the break to France’s lightning-fast forwards, led by Mbappe.

Marcus Thuram hit the post on 58 minutes. Then Mbappe and substitute Olise, who plays in Germany for Bayern Munich, combined to seal the match for France.

The French captain pounced on a poor Robin Koch clearance on the half-way line and ran goal-wards, squaring for the onrushing Olise to tap home with six minutes remaining.