Kylian Mbappé (left) is at the heart of the controversy

Real Madrid’s medical department is facing renewed scrutiny after L’Équipe reported that Kylian Mbappé is not the only star to have been misdiagnosed in recent weeks. The French outlet maintains that, only days after club doctors examined the wrong leg while assessing Mbappé’s left-knee complaint, midfielder Eduardo Camavinga endured an almost identical oversight.

According to the publication, Camavinga underwent an ankle scan on 3 December. Because the imaging was performed on the uninjured limb, no damage was detected and the 21-year-old was deemed fit enough to be included in the squad that faced Celta Vigo on 7 December. He remained unused on the bench, but the problem worsened shortly afterwards, leading to a two-week lay-off.

Mbappé’s issue came to light during that same fixture. The forward reported discomfort in his left knee, yet when an MRI was conducted two days later, the scan was—by multiple credible accounts—carried out on his right leg. The mix-up has since ignited fierce debate over Madrid’s medical protocols, despite the player’s public denial of any error.

The club has not admitted fault in either instance, yet internal changes suggest recognition that the medical structure required reinforcement. In January, Niko Mihic—club doctor between 2017 and 2023—was re-appointed in an advisory capacity to audit treatment standards across every level of the organisation.

A week later, the departure of manager Xabi Alonso was swiftly followed by the return of fitness coach Antonio Pintus to a senior on-field role. Pintus had previously been moved into a “performance manager” position when Alonso arrived with his own backroom staff from Bayer Leverkusen. President Florentino Pérez is understood to have personally requested Pintus’s reinstatement, valuing the coach’s long-standing relationship with the squad and track record of injury prevention.

Even with Pintus back on the training ground, the casualty list has continued to grow under new head coach Álvaro Arbeloa. Mbappé, Jude Bellingham, Rodrygo and goalkeeper Thibaut Courtois have all spent time in the treatment room, while Vinicius Junior is being closely monitored after reporting muscle discomfort on international duty with Brazil.

The sequence of events has intensified pressure on Madrid’s medical and performance departments to demonstrate that the recent reshuffle will translate into improved player availability during the decisive months of the campaign.