Kylian Mbappe ignoring surgery advice as knee injury fears grow

Kylian Mbappe is walking a dangerous tightrope with his fitness, as concerns grow that his determination to keep playing for Real Madrid could prolong his knee injury.

Diario AS reports that the forward is opting to manage the pain rather than undergo surgery, largely with an eye on being fully fit for the World Cup.

Mbappe suffered the problem against Celta Vigo and missed the following game versus Manchester City, but has since featured regularly despite discomfort.

Sports traumatology expert Dr. José González believes the issue may involve the lateral collateral ligament, explaining that, like the lateral meniscus, it allows a player to keep going with a slight strain but leads to increasing pain as the workload rises.

He stressed that, based on what is publicly known, the solution is simple: Mbappe needs to “really stop until the problem is resolved,” yet the Frenchman’s only significant break so far came between December 20 and January 14.

The situation has drawn comparisons with Kaká’s experience in 2010, when the Brazilian played through a knee problem to appear at the World Cup, only to require surgery afterwards, miss four months, and see his Real Madrid career nosedive.
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