Mbappe's injury nightmare: Real Madrid worry as Zidane says 'he's not doing well'

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FT Desk

Real Madrid forward Kylian Mbappe is set for a period on the sidelines after suffering a knee injury while playing for France.

In the first UEFA Nations League fixture of the new campaign, Les Bleus defeated Turkiye 1-0 away from home. Mbappe emerged as the match winner with his goal 10 minutes after the break, as he whipped a strike into the left corner from inside the box.

Unfortunately for the player, he could be seen hobbling away during his celebrations and was quickly substituted by Zinedine Zidane.

“No, it’s not good. It’s not good, unfortunately,” Zidane told French television about Mbappe's injury.

“We will not take risks.”

Sur sa frappe victorieuse, Kylian Mbappé s’est blessé au genou. Il souffre d’une lésion tendineuse et est forfait pour la suite du rassemblement.

Bon rétablissement Kylian 💙 pic.twitter.com/S3YV9oscSO

— Equipe de France ⭐⭐ (@equipedefrance) September 25, 2026

It was subsequently confirmed that the Real Madrid superstar has a knee tendon problem and that he would return to the Spanish capital for treatment, missing the rest of the international break with France.

It has become a recurring theme for Mbappe to pick up niggling injuries since he signed for Real Madrid, and the numbers should be a cause for concern.

The knee problem in the seventh separate injury that he has suffered since his high-profile free transfer switch from Paris Saint-Germain in 2024.

Mundo Deportivo has confirmed that he has already missed 14 Madrid games due to injury since his arrival, making him available for 88% of games.

Depending on the severity of this new problem, that number of games missed could increase and judging by Zidane's words, it is not looking promising.

Though he has missed separate periods due to injury, a lot are to do with the same problem - his left knee.

In December of 2025 he began to feel discomfort in that knee and at the turn of the year missed games versus Atletico Madrid and Real Betis. A couple of months later, the problem came back, and he missed fixtures against Benfica, Getafe, Celta, Manchester City and Elche.

Later that April, he missed 17 days due to an injury to the semitendinosus muscle of his left leg. Five months later, the knee issue has emerged again.

In total, he has missed 17 games for Real Madrid since signing, with the extra three coming from gastroenteritis.

Last season, he was criticised by some sections of the Spanish media for arriving late for a game against Espanyol while out injured. He was expected to be in attendance despite being injured but had been on holiday with his girlfriend Ester Exposito.