Kylian Mbappe suffers knee sprain in blow for Real Madrid in La Liga chase
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Kylian Mbappe’s status for the Spanish Supercopa is in serious doubt after the Real Madrid star suffered a sprained left knee in training.
PHOTO: AFP
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MADRID – Real Madrid have announced that Kylian Mbappe has suffered a knee sprain, delivering a blow to their bid to reel in La Liga leaders Barcelona.
“Following tests carried out today by Real Madrid medical services on our player Kylian Mbappe, he has been diagnosed with a sprain in his left knee,” the team said in a statement on Dec 31. “His progress will be monitored.”
The Spanish giants 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.
Mbappe, the leading scorer in La Liga this season with 18 goals, is therefore a major doubt for the Jan 4 league match at home to Real Betis, Los Merengues’ first after the winter break as they trail Barcelona by four points.
He has started all 18 of Real’s league games so far this season. He missed their 2-1 Champions League defeat by Manchester City at the Santiago Bernabeu on Dec 10, but returned to play 90 minutes in each of their three games leading up to Christmas.
The Frenchman could also miss the Spanish Super Cup semi-final against arch-rivals Atletico Madrid in Saudi Arabia on Jan 8, as well as a league fixture against Levante and a Champions League clash with former club Monaco.
Real did not say when or how Mbappe was injured. However, he had trained with the team on Dec 30 and went for an MRI scan a day later.
Mbappe has enjoyed a stellar 2025, equalling Cristiano Ronaldo’s club-record 59 goals in a calendar year, and has at times carried Real, relieving some pressure on under-fire coach Xabi Alonso.
He has scored 73 goals in 83 matches for the side since making a free-transfer move to the Spanish giants from Paris Saint-Germain 18 months ago.
He finished top scorer in La Liga last season with 31 goals – four more than Barcelona’s Robert Lewandowski – and is currently seven goals clear of the next best this season, Barca’s Ferran Torres.
His absence adds to those of Real defenders Daniel Carvajal, Eder Militao, Trent Alexander-Arnold, midfielder Federico Valverde and attacker Brahim Diaz, who is at the Africa Cup of Nations with Morocco.
Athletic Bilbao will play the 2025 winners Barcelona in the other Super Cup semi-final on Jan 7.
Bilbao captain Inaki Williams has criticised the staging of the games in Jeddah. The tournament has been held in Saudi Arabia since 2019-20, except for the 2020-21 edition, which was held in Spain due to Covid-19 restrictions.
He said: “For me, playing (the tournament) in Saudi Arabia is s**t. Taking a national competition out to another country does not make things easy for (the fans) to move and follow the games.
“When we play there, it feels like we are the away team. Above that, in the upcoming days, I am going to be a dad, and it is a big hassle to go away with my wife and son here.”
His teammate and Spain international Unai Simon in November said that “instead of 40,000 or 50,000 travelling in Spain, 2,000 will travel” to Saudi Arabia.
The goalkeeper was quoted by AS as saying: “Less and less (will come) each time. Because those who have been saw what was there and they don’t want to go back. My family members don’t want to return this year.”
Last January, Spain’s main football supporters’ association the Federation of Shareholders and Members of Spanish Football cautioned of the “risk for female fans” in Saudi Arabia after the partners of Real Mallorca players claimed they were “harassed” during a match.
The Spanish media alleged that women were “inappropriately touched without consent”. AFP, REUTERS
