A big mistake with Kylian Mbappe sowed chaos in Real Madrid’s medical services, put the player at risk and deprived the team of its star player for many matches. As MARCA was able to confirm, a difficult-to-believe error meant that Los Blancos did not get the diagnosis right on the knee discomfort that the player had been suffering from since the end of last year.

The earthquake had its epicenter in France. Journalist Daniel Riolo, from RMC, gave more than surprising details about the reason why Kylian did not experience improvement in the first weeks in which he complained of a left knee ailment. “It is clear that there was a mistake if the player decided to travel to Paris. I would say that it is because the diagnosis that was made to Mbappe in the knee was so catastrophic, and undoubtedly worse than catastrophic, because it was a mistake of great gravity. And that’s why they fired everyone, in addition to the streak of injuries, but largely because of that,” said the journalist.

An added risk

“It could have been very serious because of a mistake. Because Mbappe has spent time without knowing what he had, playing games… He could have broken his knee. He continues his activity and sees that it still hurts, but sees that something is wrong. I’ll tell you one thing: the mistake was huge, and it’s that they examined the other knee. Do you think I’m talking nonsense? That’s what happened. You understand that if you’re playing with an injury and you don’t know it you can hurt yourself a lot,” said Riolo.

The controversy surrounding Mbappe’s injury erupted following MARCA’s exclusive report on March 2. The player, visibly upset with how the problem was being handled, decided to travel to France in search of another opinion and a definitive solution that Real Madrid was not giving him. After several reappearances (he has had to stop up to five times due to the knee injury), the pain was still present and Mbappe began to suspect that something was wrong.

Mbappe packed his bags for France, as MARCA revealed, in search of an opinion outside of Real Madrid’s medical services to solve the knee problem. The straw that broke the camel’s back was that the striker was unable to play the important Champions League match in the second leg against Benfica, in what was the last and final break for this injury.

Player anger

Faced with the lack of improvement, he chose to seek a specialist in his country. A trip that, first Mbappe’s entourage and then Real Madrid, were responsible for confirming in separate statements. It was a trip that Mbappe made visibly angry and upset.

In France, Mbappe’s adventure began to finally find a solution to his knee problems. Bertrand Sonnery-Cottet, the doctor who treated Benzema at Real Madrid and has operated on players such as Ibrahimovic and Diakhaby, examined the Real Madrid striker. It was Dr Mihic who contacted him because he wanted to know his opinion on an injury that is not new. He gave him his diagnosis and set out a plan for his return after rehabilitation, which has paid off. Mbappe made his comeback against City last week and was back in action in Sunday’s derby. He has now gone with France on the French tour and it seems that the problem is solved.

A poisoned dart and great confusion

The only thing left is the hangover from a mistake that made the player very angry, as can be seen in his statements last Monday. “I was given the diagnosis on a specific date that I can’t reveal right now,” the Real Madrid star said of the injury. Mbappe’s injury occurred on December 7 in the match against Celta. This is when the error probably occurs. The player plays several games injured having a diagnosis of the right knee instead of the left, the injured one. Kylian, in fact, plays against Alaves, Talavera in the Copa del Rey and Sevilla.

On December 31, the newspaper L’Equipe revealed an injury to Mbappe that would prevent him from playing in the Super Cup, as he would need about three weeks to recover. That same morning, after the information from the French newspaper, the club issued a statement shortly afterwards confirming a “sprain in the left knee”, without giving more details, of the Frenchman. The player, however, traveled for the final against Barcelona just eleven days after the injury was reported.

Mbappe, in his statements yesterday before traveling today with France to the United States, did not want to confirm when he visits the specialist Bretrand Sonnery-Cottet, but ratifies in turn that it is when he manages to obtain the correct diagnosis of his knee injury and who sets the guidelines for recovery. The player stays that week in March in Paris, together with two physiotherapists from Real Madrid, to begin his conservative treatment.