As a cloud of uncertainty hovers over his fitness, Real Madrid superstar Kylian Mbappé broke his silence on the nagging knee injury keeping him off the pitch for the foreseeable future.
The 27-year-old, who traveled to his native country to receive additional medical insight from French specialists, took to social media with a simple message: “It’s all about work.”
Mbappé accompanied the statement with a photo alongside Real Madrid fitness coach Sebastien Devillaz and physio Willy Zurdo, backing up the club’s assurances that it would work alongside a team in France to get the forward back to full fitness as quickly as possible.
Los Blancos also confirmed Mbappé would undergo “conservative treatment” to heal his knee sprain, avoiding surgery that would likely keep him sidelined for nearly the rest of the season. As of now, there is no target date for the France international’s return.
A Timeline of Mbappé’s Worrisome Knee Injury
Despite only officially retreating to the sidelines in March, Mbappé has been dealing with knee issues since December. Yet he only missed one game in the final month of the year.
December
- Dec. 7: Mbappé suffers a blow to his knee in Real Madrid’s 2–0 defeat to Celta Vigo.
- Dec. 10: Mbappé remains an unused substitute in the club’s 2–1 defeat to Manchester City.
- Dec. 14: Mbappé returns to action and plays 90 minutes in Real Madrid’s 2–1 win over Alavés.
- Dec. 17: Mbappé controversy plays 90 minutes against third-tier side Talavera in the Copa del Rey.
- Dec. 20: Mbappé plays 90 minutes in Real Madrid’s 2–0 victory over Sevilla.
- Dec. 30: Mbappé complains of discomfort in training.
- Dec. 31: Real Madrid confirm Mbappé sustained a sprain in his left knee.
Many expected former boss Xabi Alonso to limit Mbappé’s minutes after the initial injury scare, but he deployed his leading goalscorer for every second to close out the year. The time coincided with the Frenchman pushing to break Cristiano Ronaldo’s club record of 59 goals scored in a calendar year—which he only wound up tying.
Real Madrid then enjoyed a brief holiday break before returning to training in the final days in January. Mbappé’s knee injury once again flared up, souring New Year’s Eve for the Spanish giants.
January
- Jan. 4: Mbappé misses Real Madrid’s 5–1 win over Real Betis.
- Jan. 8: Mbappé misses the club’s 2–1 win over Atlético Madrid in the Spanish Super Cup semifinals.
- Jan. 9: Mbappé arrives in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia ahead of the final.
- Jan. 11: Mbappé features off the bench in Real Madrid’s 3–2 defeat to Barcelona.
- Jan. 14: Mbappé remains in Madrid while the team crashes out of the Copa del Rey against Albacete.
After missing much of the first half of January, the forward went on to play Los Blancos’ four remaining matches in January, logging 360 minutes. Mbappé once again did not get even a minute’s rest in the stretch of fixtures that included a lopsided 6–1 win over Monaco in the Champions League league phase.
February
- Feb. 1: Mbappé plays 90 minutes plus 10 minutes of stoppage time in the club’s 2–1 win over Rayo Vallecano.
- Feb. 8: Mbappé plays 90 minutes in Real Madrid’s 2–0 over Valencia.
- Feb. 14: Mbappé remains an unused substitute in the club’s 4–1 victory over Real Sociedad.
- Feb. 17: Mbappé plays 90 minutes in the first leg of the Champions League knockout phase playoffs against Benfica.
- Feb. 21: Mbappé plays 90 minutes through visible discomfort in Real Madrid’s 2–1 defeat to Osasuna.
- Feb. 25: Mbappé misses the second leg of the knockout phase playoffs against Benfica.
Mbappé continued playing 90 minutes every time out until he did not feature against Real Sociedad. Reports mounted of his knee injury flaring up once again, but he then logged 180 minutes in the span of five days.
It came as no surprise to those who kept track of Mbappé’s struggles over the last three months that he was ruled out against Benfica in the second leg of the knockout phase playoffs. With such important games on the horizon, as well as the World Cup this summer, the France captain was finally prioritizing his recovery, even if it meant missing crucial games for Real Madrid.
March
- March 2: Real Madrid confirms Mbappé is undergoing conservative treatment for his knee injury.
- March 2: Mbappé misses the club’s 1–0 defeat to Getafe.
March kicked off with Real Madrid finally releasing an official medical update on Mbappé before they went on to suffer a poor defeat to Getafe, gifting Barcelona a four-point gap atop the La Liga standings.
With the title race slowly slipping through their grasp and the Champions League round of 16 coming next week, Los Blancos will have to bounce back and figure out how to survive without Mbappé ... or risk ending the season trophyless.
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This article was originally published on www.si.com as Kylian Mbappe Addresses Real Madrid’s Injury Confirmation With Four-Word Message .
