Alarm at Real Madrid and France: After the Zidane-Era Debut and the Goal, Mbappé Injured!

Kylian Mbappé has raised concerns about his fitness after being forced to leave the pitch injured in France’s UEFA Nations League match against Türkiye.

The France captain scored the goal that gave Zinedine Zidane’s side the win, but just minutes later was forced to leave the field due to a problem in his left knee.

Mbappé took the ball at the edge of the box and in the 54th minute unleashed a powerful shot, beating the Turkish goalkeeper and giving France a 1-0 lead. However, right after the goal, the striker reacted with concern and grabbed his left knee.

After receiving medical assistance, Mbappé briefly returned to the pitch, but the pain continued. In the 59th minute, he sat on the ground and signaled to the bench that he could not continue. Zinedine Zidane decided to replace him with Désiré Doué.

Mbappé left the pitch limping, and the images of him — first with his hands on his face and then holding his left knee — heightened concern about the severity of the injury. For the moment there is no final diagnosis nor a recovery timeline. The striker’s condition is expected to be determined after medical examinations in the coming hours.

The concern is even greater because Mbappé had problems with the same knee last season, missing seven matches for Real Madrid in all competitions. France, meanwhile, started the Zinedine Zidane era with a 1-0 win in Türkiye, but the celebration of the three points has been significantly dampened by the state of its captain’s fitness.