Real Madrid superstar Kylian Mbappé has denied reports that the club’s medical staff made a bizarre blunder when he suffered a knee injury last year.
A member of Real Madrid’s medical team allegedly scanned the wrong leg when performing an MRI after Mbappé complained of a knee issue in December, according to a report by The Athletic.
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When the scans came up clear on his right knee, the Frenchman played three more games despite the discomfort in his left knee.
Mbappé scored on each occasion as Los Blancos picked up victories against Alaves, Sevilla, and Levante.
He had a follow-up scan after those games and a partial tear in his posterior cruciate ligament was found.
The injury was worse than Madrid initially feared, but Mbappé denied that an error was made with the initial assessment.
“The information that [Madrid] examined the wrong knee is not true,” he told reporters while on international duty with France.
“Perhaps I bear some indirect responsibility for the situation, because when you don’t communicate about what you have and what is going on, it leaves the door open to interpretation, and everyone is rushing to fill in the blanks.
“Now, with Real Madrid, we’ve always had a communication that was quite clear, whether it was when I started my rehabilitation in Madrid, or when I was in Paris, where I was accompanied by the doctor, a physiotherapist and the club’s physical trainer, where we worked from Paris, so there is no problem with that.
“We’re in an important moment in the season. The team has been playing well without me. When I got injured, I wasn’t available and people thought I was the only solution, but it wasn’t like that. The important thing is the team.”
Mbappé’s knee issue first emerged during Real Madrid’s 2-0 loss to Celta Vigo on December 7.
The 27-year-old copped a knock but played out the entirety of that clash.
He then sat on the bench for a Champions League match against Manchester City at the Bernabéu three days later.
But he returned for all three of Madrid’s remaining matches in 2025.
In doing so, Mbappé matched Cristiano Ronaldo’s record for most club goals in a calendar year – finding the back of the net 59 times.
He paid the price for reaching that milestone, however.
“When Mbappé returned to training after the Christmas break on December 30, he was seen touching his left knee as he spoke to medical staff. A day later, Madrid published their medical update with the knee sprain diagnosis — adding that a ‘conservative’ recovery plan would be followed,” The Athletic’s Guillermo Rai and Mario Cortegana wrote.
“Following that, Mbappé did not travel with the squad to Saudi Arabia for their Supercopa de Espana semi-final against city rivals Atletico Madrid, although he did then join the team for the final against Barcelona on January 11, coming off the bench for the final 14 minutes of a 3-2 defeat that ultimately cost Xabi Alonso the head coach’s job.”
The case got a little more curious as Mbappé played eight of Real’s next ten matches and scored nine goals in that time.
But in the last month, he missed a run of five straight matches.
He even headed to Paris with club medical staff for further tests and treatment.
Mbappé returned to the Madrid line-up last week, coming off the bench in the second leg of their Champions League Round of 16 win against Manchester City and in a La Liga win at home to rivals Atletico Madrid.
He is now on international duty with France as they play friendlies against Brazil and Colombia in the coming days in the United States.
With a World Cup to come in June and July as well as having the chance to win the Champions League and La Liga, if Madrid can run down Barcelona’s four point lead, for the first time in his career, the management of Mbappé’s knee injury has been incredibly risky.
But the player himself does not regret how things have played out.
“I’ve never been someone — not as a person nor as a player — who lives with regrets,” he said.
“I focus on the present and the immediate future. Right now, I feel good, especially with both my knees, which is important to me. That’s partly thanks to my club, who have taken good care of my fitness.
“I’m very happy to be here, available, and fully fit. I’m ready to play [against Brazil] and to start if needs be.”
Originally published as ‘Not true’: Soccer superstar responds to wild reports of bizarre medical blunder
