Kylian Mbappe injury sends star off French national team, back to Real Madrid with MRI pending

France's superstar forward suffered a hyperextended knee against Turkiye and will miss upcoming matches against Belgium and Italy while awaiting results

Sep 25, 2026 at 6:38 pm ET • 2 min read

After injuring his knee during France's 1-0 victory over Turkiye in UEFA Nations League play, Kylian Mbappe will depart the national team and return to Real Madrid. Mbappe, whose goal was his 67th for Les Bleus after a World Cup where he scored 10 goals en route to winning the Golden Boot over Lionel Messi, was visibly in pain after taking a shot in the 54th minute.

He was removed from the match for Paris Saint-Germain forward Desire Doue.

France manager Zinedine Zidane wasn't optimistic about Mbappe's condition.

"Things aren't going well," Zidane told TF1. "I think he'll return to Real Madrid. We're not going to take any risks. He developed hyperextension in his knee during the shot. It's not exactly encouraging for him to be able to continue. He is not feeling OK."

The French national team confirmed Mbappe's knee injury, stating it would force the Real Madrid man to miss the remainder of the international break.

As an MRI has not been conducted at this time, the full severity of the injury is not yet known; however, Mbappe missed nine games during the 2025-26 season for Real Madrid due to various muscular or knee issues, so it's reasonable that France wants to be cautious with their all-time leading goal scorer.

This extended international break has already resulted in a fair share of injuries, despite teams only having played their first matches. German striker Kai Havertz is similarly returning to Arsenal, and Brian Brobbey suffered an injury for the Netherlands.

France still has three games on tap in UEFA Nations League play, facing Belgium twice and Italy to determine placement in Group 1.

With Doue, Bradley Barcola and Ousmane Dembele, Zidane has plenty of options for how to set up his forward line, but these won't be easy games for the national team. He's also in his first international break after taking over for longtime France manager Didier Deschamps following the World Cup, and it didn't take long for his first challenge to come over the horizon.

For Jose Mourinho and Real Madrid, not playing their next LaLiga fixture until Oct. 10 could see Mbappe be fit for that if this isn't a serious injury, but with the month of October bringing two Champions League league phase fixtures and an El Clásico against Barcelona, if Mbappe misses any significant time, it would be quite concerning.

Currently, the withdrawal is being treated as a precaution, but that could quickly change.