Mbappe says he is recovering well from a knee injury and is confident he will perform well at the World Cup

Paris

As the 2026 FIFA World Cup approaches, French star Kylian Mbappe says he is recovering well from the left knee injury that has been bothering him for weeks.

The Real Madrid striker has been used as a substitute in his side’s last two matches as he works his way back into form. He has joined his French teammates this week ahead of a pair of friendlies in the United States, against Brazil on Thursday and Colombia on Sunday.

“There was a lot of frustration, a lot of anger and at one point also some fear,” Mbappe told French media late on Monday at a promotional event. «I had reached a stage where I didn’t know what was happening to me anymore. I didn’t go through that period in the best way. I wasn’t the happiest player in the world. But I’m happy now because it’s really behind me. It’s all over.»

Mbappe was in excellent form until he sprained his knee late last year. The former Paris Saint-Germain player, who joined Madrid in the summer of 2024, played throughout January but was then sidelined for three and a half weeks before making his latest comeback.

“I wanted to be very careful not to come back too soon and risk a relapse or re-injury somewhere else,” he said. «I wasn’t afraid of re-injuring my knee, but of getting injured somewhere else, because after four or five weeks without playing you have to get all the other muscles working again. That’s why I took my time,» the 27-year-old added.

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Mbappe also lashed out at the «unfounded» information circulating during his absence.

“Many people diagnosed it, even though I didn’t have one until recently,” he says. «From then on it was easy to say that everything that was said was wrong. I heard a lot of things: an operation, that I might not play again, that I wouldn’t be able to play in the World Cup. It was all completely unfounded.»

Mbappe, who has scored 38 goals in 35 league appearances this season, said he was happy Madrid played well in his absence. The club are in second place in La Liga and will face Bayern Munich in the quarter-finals of the Champions League next month.

Published on March 24, 2026