Kylian Mbappe headlines Real Madrid’s list of six injured stars with Man City Champions League clash on the horizon
Kylian Mbappé‘s latest injury has become a serious headache for Real Madrid in a season that has fallen well short of expectations. With Pep Guardiola’s Manchester City looming in the Champions League Round of 16 next week, the French star headlines a list of six Madrid players currently sidelined and in doubt for the tie.
After a blistering start to the season that saw him sitting atop both the La Liga and Champions League scoring charts, Mbappé’s momentum was halted at the turn of the year by a knee sprain. The same issue flared up again ahead of the playoff second leg against Benfica, prompting the club to enroll him in a specific recovery program while opting not to disclose a return date.
Adding to the growing injury concerns, Rodrygo has now been ruled out for the remainder of the 2025-26 season and the start of the next, after tearing his ACL and lateral meniscus in his right leg. The news sent shockwaves through the squad, drawing messages of support from Mbappé, Vinícius Júnior and Brazilian legend Neymar.
Rodrygo’s injury brings Real Madrid‘s walking wounded to six. Alongside Mbappé’s knee sprain, defender Éder Militão is also recovering from a torn ACL, while David Alaba, Jude Bellingham and Dani Ceballos are all sidelined with muscular problems.
Ceballos suffered a tear in the soleus muscle of his right leg in late February, with a recovery timeline of around seven weeks. Alaba, meanwhile, has been plagued by chronic muscular issues throughout the 2025-26 campaign, and despite managing to hold down a starting berth, he was substituted off in the 55th minute of the most recent match against Getafe.
Bellingham, for his part, is still managing an injury to the semitendinosus muscle in his left leg, one that appears likely to rule him out for the entire Manchester City series. According to Marca, the Englishman has decided to seek a second medical opinion on his hamstring, following a similar path to Mbappé, who recently consulted outside specialists to assess his knee.
Real Madrid hopeful to see Mbappe against City
With the 2026 World Cup fewer than 100 days away, Mbappé’s knee has become a focal point of concern not only for Real Madrid but also for the France national team, which has been closely monitoring his condition. With surgery already ruled out, both Mbappé and the club are firmly against taking any risks that could lead to a fresh setback or further damage to the same area.
That said, there is still a flicker of hope on the horizon for both player and club. As reported by Diario AS, Mbappé has not been entirely ruled out for the first leg against Manchester City on Wednesday, March 11, with the player acutely aware of just how much is at stake in what remains of Real Madrid’s season.
Initially, the expectation was that Mbappé might be ready to return, albeit not at full fitness, in time for the second leg on Tuesday, March 17. But the player’s own ambitions appear to go further than that, with reports suggesting he is pushing to be available for the first leg, at minimum as an option off the bench, in what would be a race against the clock.