Kylian Mbappe declares knee injury fully healed ahead of World Cup
Real Madrid and France striker Kylian Mbappe has confirmed his troublesome left knee is completely healed ahead of the upcoming World Cup.
The forward recently returned to action as a substitute for his club and has now joined his national team-mates for two friendlies in the United States.
Speaking to the French media at a promotional event, the prolific attacker reflected on a challenging rehabilitation period.
Frustration and anxiety
The lethal finisher suffered a knee sprain late last year but initially played through the pain before being sidelined for three-and-a-half weeks.
“There was a lot of frustration, a lot of anger, and then also some anxiety at one point,” he admitted.
“I had reached a stage where I didn’t know what was wrong with me.”
Despite the mental toll, the French World Cup winner expressed immense relief that the issue is finally resolved.
“I’m happy now because it’s truly behind me,” he said.
Dismissing baseless speculation
During his absence, rumours circulated that the recent Bernabeu arrival might require surgery or even miss the World Cup entirely.
He strongly criticised these claims, noting that even he did not have a definitive diagnosis until recently.
“I heard a lot of things – surgery, that I might not play again, that I wouldn’t be able to play in the World Cup. It was all completely baseless.”
Instead, the former Paris St-Germain star, who famously scored a hat-trick in the 2022 final, adopted a highly cautious approach to avoid any muscular relapses.
Looking ahead to international duty
Even with the frustrating layoff, he boasts an exceptional return of 38 goals in 35 matches across all competitions this season.
Real Madrid have thrived in his absence, sitting second in La Liga and preparing for a Champions League quarter-final against Bayern Munich.
Now, the focus shifts to international duty as Les Bleus intensify their preparations for the tournament co-hosted by the US, Mexico and Canada.
France will face Brazil in Foxborough on Thursday before taking on Colombia in Landover on 29 March.
