Mbappe Says Injury Is Behind Him And All Systems Go For World Cup

Paris—Kylian Mbappe delivered an unequivocal message to France supporters and World Cup rivals on the eve of Les Bleus’ U.S. tour: the knee injury that sidelined him for 54 days is “behind me,” and his place at this summer’s tournament was never in doubt.

Speaking in Paris before joining the national squad for friendlies against Brazil today and Colombia on Sunday, the 27-year-old Real Madrid striker described the lay-off—the longest of his career—as a period of “frustration, anger and anxiety.” Yet scans taken in early March showed no need for surgery, and Mbappe insists speculation about a more serious ligament rupture was unfounded.

“Lots of people gave their own diagnosis; I heard many false things,” he said during an appearance at an insurance firm he has invested in. “At worst I could have had a partial rupture ruling me out until April, but there was never a debate about the World Cup or the climax to the season with Real Madrid.”

Mbappe resumed full training under a self-imposed “return-gently-but-hungry” regime and has already logged minutes at club level: a cameo in the Champions League last-16 tie at Manchester City and 25-plus minutes in Sunday’s 3-2 Madrid derby victory over Atletico. With 38 goals in 34 matches he remains Real’s leading scorer this campaign.

The French captain, who lifted the trophy in 2018 and finished runner-up in 2022, admitted he and the club “tried to manage it as best as possible” while he played through January and February. “Today I have no pain and we are still in the hunt for trophies,” he added. “All the pain is gone.”

France’s two-match American swing marks the next checkpoint on the road to the June finals. Mbappe welcomed the chance to face a Brazil side led by his former Real Madrid coach Carlo Ancelotti. “When you play Brazil, the greatest footballing nation with five World Cup wins, it is unbelievable,” he said. “We are not going there for a holiday; we are going as a step in our preparations for the World Cup.”

Mbappe expects to feature during the international break and believes the friendlies will offer valuable benchmarks against fellow contenders. “Even if we cannot take a lot of learnings out of this get-together, we can nevertheless take some,” he noted.

For now, the focus is simple: minutes on the pitch, sharpness restored, and a third World Cup campaign looming with “all systems go.”