Mbappe is set to miss El Clasico after limping off with a knee tendon injury on his France debut under Zidane

From the Newshound archive · first published 26 September 2026.

Kylian Mbappe suffered a tendon injury to his left knee minutes after scoring the winning goal for France against Turkey on Friday night, forcing him off the pitch and cutting short his Nations League camp. The French Football Federation confirmed the 27-year-old will sit out France's games against Belgium and Italy, with Zinedine Zidane warning 'it doesn't look good' and confirming his captain would not be risked. Real Madrid will now be anxiously monitoring his recovery ahead of El Clasico against Barcelona. No replacement has yet been called up to the France squad.

Mbappe scored the only goal — from a Michael Olise assist — before immediately beginning to limp.

Zidane said Mbappe has 'swelling in the knee' and confirmed France 'are not going to take any risks'.

Teammate Rayan Cherki insisted 'it wasn't anything serious' — but the federation's diagnosis of a tendon injury tells a different story.