Real Madrid forward Kylian Mbappe has revealed that it was back in Paris that he managed to get to the bottom of a persistent knee injury. The France international was criticised in the Spanish capital for returning home for a week to get a second opinion on the injury.
Mbappe had been playing with pain in his knee for three months when he decided to stop, missing around three weeks of action. He says that he is now back to his best though, and his return to France was key in that.
“I’ve made a full recovery. I had the opportunity in Paris to get a good diagnosis. And together we were able to design a plan to get back to my best level with Real Madrid and also with an eye toward the World Cup,” he told Diario AS.
Mbappe denies World Cup interference
One of the theories put out about Mbappe’s absence, which took on a life of its own in terms of speculation due to a lack of clarity, was that he was protecting himself for the World Cup this summer. Mbappe was not best-pleased by that suggestion though.
“There’s no debate. I’ve seen people talking about the World Cup. I’ve played in two World Cups. I won one and reached the final in the other. How did I prepare for the World Cups? By playing every match with my club.”
“For me, it’s crystal clear that I want to play every game for Real Madrid. I’m not going to change how I prepare. I could say, ‘I’m going home and not playing,’ but that’s nonsense. I prepared for the last two World Cups in the best way possible: by playing, scoring goals, winning titles, and fighting until the last minute for my club. And this year I’m going to do the same to arrive in top form. I hope to win it again.”
Mbappe defends Real Madrid handling of injury
Another criticism was that Real Madrid had mismanaged his injury, given Mbappe was playing with frequent pain. Yet Mbappe was keen to defend Los Blancos’ handling of the situation.
“The club and the player have handled this in the best way possible. We are in constant communication. There is no debate,” he noted, before also denying that he had ever refused to play for France. “That’s false. I have never refused to play for France.”
The medical department at Real Madrid has come under heavy scrutiny of late due to the number of serious injuries, and consistent absences in the squad. In January, after Xabi Alonso’s departure, Antonio Pintus was restored to the role of Head Fitness coach, and former Dr. Niko Mihic also returned to the club in January in a bid to tighten things up.
