Panic in Madrid: Mbappe and Mastantuono injured

The phone rang, the call came — and Kylian Mbappe and Franco Mastantuono had no doubts. Even though they were not fully fit, both responded to their national team coaches’ calls. France and Argentina got them, while Real Madrid was far from happy about it. At the Santiago Bernabeu, there were fears that the international break could further aggravate their conditions — and those fears turned out to be justified. Last night, alarm bells went off in Madrid: both Kylian Mbappe and Franco Mastantuono are returning to the club early due to injuries.

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Real Madrid was unhappy about having to release them in the first place, warning that their health situations could worsen. There was tension — which, as it turned out, was well-founded. Kylian Mbappe took part in only one of four training sessions with the French national team, as he was still struggling with an ankle injury he sustained in the match against Villarreal. Yet, he started against Azerbaijan, scored a goal, and Didier Deschamps didn’t even consider substituting him, even with the score at 3–0. As stoppage time approached, the team’s star man went down after a challenge and stayed on the ground…

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A painful expression on his face, and he signaled for a substitution. Kylian Mbappe couldn’t continue — Florian Thauvin, returning to the national team after six years, came on and scored. The same ankle again. The French coach confirmed that the issue persists.

“He took another knock — to the same ankle he had previously injured. He’s feeling discomfort, and it’s not an ideal situation for him. But contact is unavoidable in matches, and the pain decreases with rest” said Didier Deschamps.

That much-needed rest for Real Madrid’s star didn’t happen this week. Mbappe has returned to Madrid and will now undergo further medical tests. He’ll have to rest — just like Franco Mastantuono, who also had to return to the Spanish capital earlier than expected. There are some differences between the cases of Kylian Mbappe and Franco Mastantuono. The Argentine, unlike the Frenchman, didn’t even play for his national team. He traveled “halfway around the world” while injured — enduring the long trip to join the squad, only for it to be noted before the match against Venezuela that he wasn’t fit to play. He had muscle discomfort — a strain in his left thigh — and was cleared to return to Madrid.