Kylian Mbappé, author of a successful start to the season at Real Madrid, was stopped in mid-air in his progress by a muscular injury to his left thigh which will deprive him of several weeks of competition.
His exit, grimacing under the applause at the end of the La Liga match this Tuesday, September 24 against Alaves, immediately panicked the Spanish press. Is Mbappé injured? Will he be available on Sunday for the derby against Atlético Madrid?
The suspense only lasted one night, and that was already enough time for sports broadcasts to debate the type of injury from which the Frenchman suffered or by whom he should be replaced in the starting lineup. “ Following the examinations carried out today on our player Kylian Mbappé by the Real Madrid medical service, he was diagnosed with an injury to the biceps femoris of his left leg », Wrote the Spanish giant on Wednesday in a press release, without specifying the duration of the absence of its new star.
According to the Iberian press, he could be unavailable for three weeks and will miss Sunday’s Madrid derby against Atlético Madrid in the league, as well as the trip to Lille in the Champions League on October 2.
There will come a time when we will go on strike. This is the only way we will have to be heard
Jules Koundé
The captain of the France team is also uncertain for the next international window with the Blues, who face Israel and Belgium in the Nations League on October 10 and 14.
This injury, recurring in high-level sport and often associated with the repetition of high-intensity races, comes at the worst time for the Bondynois, who seemed to gradually return to his best level and integrate better and better into the collective from Madrid, like his fifth goal in seven days of the championship against Alavés (3-2) after a sublime one-two with Jude Bellingham.
The new Merengue No. 9 had so far played his first nine matches in all competitions as a starter, only coming off three times a few minutes before the end, which inevitably brings us back to the hot topic of overloaded professional football calendars.
The pace imposed on major European clubs, with matches every three days and ever busier competitions, has been widely criticized in recent weeks, notably by Carlo Ancelotti, who frequently has to deal with injuries to important players.
A complaint before the European Commission
« We have looked for the problem, but it is not in our hands. It’s the fault of a very demanding schedule. (…) If those in charge don’t start thinking about the players who get injured because they play too many matches, we have a problem. We need to reduce the number of matches to have more attractive competitions », decided the Italian technician.
Other voices, including those of Rodri (Manchester City), himself the victim of a serious knee injury a few hours after his declarations, or Jules Koundé (FC Barcelona), spoke out to say stop this infernal pace, raising the possibility of a strike.
« We see that there are more and more injuries due to lack of rest. (…) We have been saying it for three or four years and no one listens to us, the players, who are the first actors. There will indeed come a time when we will go on strike. This is the only way we will have to be heard », Estimates Koundé.
Even without seriousness, the injury to Kylian Mbappé, superstar of world football and influential figure in the world of sport, will bring another element to the argument of Fifpro, the International Federation of Footballers’ Unions, which is preparing to file a second complaint before the European Commission on the right to competition on October 14.
