Mbappe Suffers Knee Tendon Injury as Zidane Sends Him Back to Real Madrid

Kylian Mbappé has left the France squad with a left knee tendon injury after scoring the only goal of Zinédine Zidane's first match in charge, with the Real Madrid forward now returning to the Spanish capital for further assessment.

France opened the Zidane era with a 1-0 Nations League win in Türkiye on Friday, and it was Mbappé who provided the spark, beating the keeper at the near post in the 54th minute. But the captain felt the problem in his left knee as he scored and limped off shortly afterwards, and Zidane confirmed the diagnosis after the final whistle.

"The news is not good"

"The news is not good. He has a tendon injury in his knee," Zidane told reporters, adding that France would not take any risks with their captain. Mbappé has been released from the camp and will miss the home fixture against Belgium on Monday, with Ousmane Dembélé expected to lead the line in his absence and Désiré Doué and Bradley Barcola in line for more minutes against Belgium and Italy.

Two weeks to the Villarreal game

For Real Madrid, the timing could have been worse only in the most literal sense. The international break means their next fixture is not until October 10, when Villarreal visit the Santiago Bernabéu, handing Mbappé roughly two weeks to recover. The club's medical staff will examine the knee before setting any return date, and given the forward's importance they are unlikely to rush him back for a single league fixture.

The bigger concern is the state of the treatment room he returns to. Ibrahima Konaté came back from the same France camp with a collateral ligament injury to his right knee, Federico Valverde is out with a sprain suffered in the Madrid derby, and Éder Militão, Ferland Mendy and Rodrygo are all still working their way back to fitness. With Dean Huijsen suspended for the Villarreal game, another defensive absence is the last thing the champions need.

What it means for France

France, meanwhile, must reshape their attack for the remainder of the window. Mbappé had been deployed from the left in Zidane's first XI, with Dembélé through the middle, and the coach now has a decision to make about whether to hand Doué or Barcola a start against Belgium or keep Dembélé central and add a wide replacement. Zidane's debut win keeps the good vibes of his appointment intact, but losing his captain and talisman to injury inside 90 minutes is an unwelcome first headache of the tenure.

Real Madrid supporters will hope the scans in Madrid bring better news than Zidane's sombre tone suggested. For now, the club's medical staff — already stretched by a growing injury list — have two weeks to get their number nine right.