Kylian Mbappe says the knee injury that kept him out for almost two months is now behind him and there was never any real fear he would miss this year’s World Cup. The 27 year old Real Madrid and France captain admitted the 54 day layoff, the longest of his career, was mentally difficult.
He said he went through frustration, anger and anxiety while sidelined, but is now relieved to be back on the pitch. Mbappe returned to action with a brief substitute appearance in Real Madrid’s Champions League last 16 tie at Manchester City and then played more than 25 minutes in a 3 2 league win over Atletico Madrid, where he is the club’s top scorer this season with 38 goals in 34 games.
Speaking at an event in Paris, Mbappe insisted there had never been a serious discussion about him missing the World Cup in June. He explained that scans showed he did not need surgery and that, at worst, a partial ligament rupture would only have ruled him out until April, leaving plenty of time to be ready for the tournament.
He expressed irritation at false rumours about the severity of his injury, saying many people tried to give their own diagnosis without knowing the facts. He admitted he and Real Madrid had tried to manage the problem through January and February, and that he was not at his best or happiest during that period.
Mbappe said the positive side is that he now feels no pain and that both he and Real are still competing for major trophies. He added that there will be time after the season to review how the injury was handled, but for now his focus is on performing for club and country.
The French captain will lead his national team to the United States for friendlies against Brazil on Thursday and Colombia on Sunday as part of preparations for the World Cup. He said facing Brazil, a five time world champion, is always special and a good test of where France stand ahead of the tournament.
Mbappe stressed that the squad is not travelling to America for a holiday but to work and sharpen their game. He said the matches will help France measure themselves against top opposition and take useful lessons into their final build up for his third World Cup finals.
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