Mbappé, Real Madrid, and a knee that no one can quite explain

The turmoil on the Real Madrid bench has pushed one of the season’s great enigmas into the background: the true state of Kylian Mbappé’s left knee. 

Since he injured it against Celta on December 7 and was later diagnosed with a sprain, every match has been an unknown. Absences and comebacks, a trip to Saudi Arabia to play 15 minutes, a controversial rest in Albacete, and then, 72 hours later, decisive once again in breaking the deadlock on Sunday.

Against Levante, he went from serious doubt to logging the full 95 minutes, a surprise. Even more so after panic rippled through the Bernabéu when he collapsed during the warm-up following a stamp from Huijsen on his foot that required medical checks. With so much alarm, it was reasonable to expect a diminished Mbappé. Instead, he was Madrid’s most active player in a grim first half, and a moment of brilliance from him eased the internal and external turmoil surrounding the team.

Mbappe’s Monaco come calling

Mbappé rushed back for the Supercopa to try to steady Arbeloa, and on Sunday he did the same for Arbeloa’s credibility. But once the job was done, after winning a penalty off Dela and converting it for the 1–0, he neither asked to come off nor did his coach see fit to save him for Monaco on Tuesday. It is a more than special visit for Kylian. It was at Monaco where he cut his footballing teeth: 27 goals and 16 assists in 60 games for the Monegasques. That is also where Madrid first set their sights on him. And keep an eye on the workload, because it seems highly unlikely he will be spared in the slightest for a match with such emotional weight, despite Saturday’s effort.

Playing every minute against Levante recalls that full game in Talavera, then explained only by his drive to match Cristiano Ronaldo’s record for goals in a calendar year (59). With his strike against Levante, Kylian became the second Madrid player to reach 50 league goals fastest, doing so in 53 matches, surpassed only by his Portuguese idol, who did it in 51.

But who denies anything to a superstar, especially one who delivers this level of impact? Not Xabi Alonso, not Arbeloa, not anyone with a coaching license. And certainly not at this Madrid.