Mbappé's tendon injury sidelines him for the rest of the FIFA window

The French forward Kylian Mbappé's Mbappé Lesión was confirmed after a worrying movement following his goal against Turkey in the Nations League, leaving him out of the remaining FIFA dates. The incident unfolded at the Kocaeli Stadyumu in Turkey and was captured by Reuters as he received medical attention.

Incident at Kocaeli Stadium

The scene at Kocaeli Stadyumu showed teammates' concern, Zinedine Zidane clutching his head and Mbappé grimacing, indicating the problem was more than a minor knock. The preliminary medical report later confirmed a tendon injury to his left knee.

Francia's squad implications

Francia announced through its official channels that the striker 'injured his knee' and suffered a tendon lesion, ruling him out of the rest of the gathering. Consequently, he will miss the three remaining Nations League fixtures – against Belgium on 28 September, Italy on 2 October and Belgium again on 5 October – and Zidane confirmed no replacement will be called.

The setback adds to a growing list of physical problems that have plagued the Real Madrid forward since his arrival in 2024. Olé counted seven separate injuries, amounting to fourteen missed matches and an overall availability of 88.8 percent.

Real Madrid miss Mbappé because of knee injury, Zidane brings him back

Injury history and recovery

His first issue arrived on 24 September 2024 in a La Liga clash with Alavés, when a left‑leg hamstring tear forced him out of the subsequent El Clásico. A second problem emerged on 10 December in Bergamo against Atalanta, where he was substituted in the 36th minute due to muscle discomfort and missed the following game with Rayo Vallecano. In February 2025 a hard kick from Carlos Romero during the Espanyol‑Real Madrid tie caused a calf hematoma, keeping him out of the Copa del Rey tie with Leganés. A month later an ankle sprain in the Champions League tie with Arsenal ruled him out of two league matches against Athletic Bilbao and Getafe, the first of which he also missed through suspension. Three further absences came at the Club World Cup when gastroenteritis prevented him from facing Al‑Hilal, Pachuca and Salzburg.

The most serious episode began in December 2025 when left‑knee discomfort was reported as a sprain, causing him to miss matches against Betis and Atlético Madrid. The problem resurfaced in early 2026, leading to additional absences through March and a total of seven missed fixtures across the two periods, including games versus Benfica, Getafe, Celta, Manchester City and Elche.

After a specialised rehabilitation programme in Paris, Mbappé declared himself '100 percent recovered' ahead of the World Cup. In a press conference he said, 'The knee is fine, much better. It’s the life of a high‑level athlete; we are used to people saying things without verification and many lies.'

Zidane manages his first match for the Bleus against Turkey

He added, 'I had the opportunity to get a good diagnosis in Paris and together we designed a plan to return to the best level with Real Madrid and also for the World Cup.'