Inside Real Madrid's Disastrous Kylian Mbappe Miscalculation That Shook the Club

Multiple reports have claimed that Real Madrid's medical staff incorrectly gave star forward Kylian Mbappé a clean bill of health after mistakenly scanning the wrong knee back in December. This "catastrophic" blunder is said to have left Mbappé enraged and has triggered several damaging consequences in the Spanish capital.

Mbappé was sent for tests after reporting discomfort in his knee following a match against Celta Vigo on Dec. 7, 2025. The Frenchman missed Real Madrid's subsequent Champions League fixture against Manchester City but returned to action for the club's next three games to wrap up 2025. It has since been alleged that Mbappé was unknowingly carrying an injury during those 270 minutes of play, which could have had severe repercussions.

Daniel Riolo of RMC Sport was the first to make the startling claim that Madrid's medical team examined Mbappé's right knee when the issue was actually with his left leg. The Athletic corroborated this remarkable sequence of events.

"For Real Madrid, what happened is a total disgrace," Riolo stated during an appearance on After Foot, "and I think we avoided the worst for Mbappé. This diagnostic error could have been far more serious, because it took Mbappé some time to find out what was actually wrong. He had other commitments, he even played a few matches without knowing exactly what the problem was. He could have destroyed his knee."

Riolo's assertion that this misdiagnosis led to the dismissal of several members of Madrid's medical staff has been disputed by some Spanish media outlets. Nevertheless, it's evident that this is a blunder that raises serious questions.

Timeline of Mbappé's Medical Misadventures

The resilient forward still played the full 90 minutes of a 2–0 defeat, setting the tone for a pattern of playing through the pain.

Marca suggest that the erroneous scan took place on the same day as the Celta match. Remarkably, no issue was detected.

Despite being given the all-clear, Mbappé was only considered fit enough to serve as an unused substitute in Madrid's 2–1 loss to Manchester City in the Champions League league phase.

This is the most alarming aspect of the story. For three consecutive matches, Mbappé took to the pitch under the false impression that there was no serious problem with his knee. Despite the hidden setback, the 27-year-old still managed to score four times, equaling Cristiano Ronaldo's record of 59 goals in a calendar year for Real Madrid.

Mbappé returned to Madrid training on Dec. 30, one day before the club officially announced he had suffered a sprained knee. It was subsequently confirmed that the prolific striker had sustained a partial posterior knee ligament tear and would undergo "conservative" treatment.

After reluctantly missing a league fixture against Real Betis and the Spanish Super Cup semifinal against Atlético Madrid, Mbappé traveled to Saudi Arabia to come off the bench in the final against Barcelona. His brief appearance could not prevent defeat or spare Xabi Alonso from being sacked, which occurred the following day.

To the surprise of many, Mbappé continued to feature for Real Madrid, starting seven of eight matches as January gave way to February before the pain ultimately became too much to bear. His absence from the second leg of the Champions League knockout tie against Benfica at the end of February has been described as the "last straw" before he traveled to France to seek an independent medical assessment.

"I received the diagnosis on a specific date that I can't disclose right now," Mbappé cryptically told reporters after joining up with France on Monday. "I didn't handle that period in the best way; I wasn't exactly the happiest player in the world."

After more than three weeks on the sidelines, Mbappé came off the bench for Real Madrid's Champions League last-16 victory over Manchester City at the Etihad. The player may have insisted he is "fine," but was not risked in the starting lineup for Sunday's Madrid derby against Atlético, featuring for less than half an hour.

Mbappé has been included in France's squad for two friendlies in the U.S., although L'Équipe predict he will not be used for more than 45 minutes against Brazil.