Mbappé suffers knee injury while scoring winning goal against Turkey

Kylian Mbappé left the France squad prematurely after sustaining a tendon injury to his left knee during the Blues’ 1-0 victory in Turkey on Friday evening. The 27-year-old striker, who scored the only goal of the match in the 54th minute, was injured at the moment of his decisive shot.

Zinédine Zidane, making his debut on the France bench, made no attempt to hide his concern when discussing his captain’s condition. “It’s not good, he’ll have to return to Madrid. He suffered a strain on his shot. We’re not going to take any risks,” the head coach said, before clarifying at his press conference: “The news isn’t good. He has a tendon injury to his knee. Unfortunately, it’s a small problem.”

Tactically, Zidane had chosen to position Mbappé on the left wing, with Ousmane Dembélé playing as centre-forward. After a laborious first half, the Real Madrid player found the breakthrough with a shot to the near post, but in closing his right foot to finish, his left knee suffered the impact of the movement.

The exact length of his absence will be determined by Real Madrid’s medical staff following examination. The merengues resume competition on October 10 with the home reception of Villarreal in La Liga, giving Mbappé a two-week window to recover.

For the Blues, the captain’s absence reshuffles the attacking options for the next two Nations League matches, against Belgium and then Italy. Désiré Doué and Bradley Barcola, both brought on as substitutes against Turkey, are the natural candidates to inherit increased playing time.