Real Madrid forward Kylian Mbappe was forced to watch on as his teammates beat Benfica 2-1 on Wednesday night securing progress 3-1 on aggregate to the Round of 16 in the Champions League. Despite manager Alvaro Arbeloa declaring him fit a little over 24 hours beforehand, Mbappe missed out with a recurrence of his knee sprain.
Mbappe has missed five games in 2026 due to his knee problems, which date back to December. The France captain twisted his knee during a 2-0 loss to Celta Vigo, and has not been fully fit since, playing through pain at times. Arbeloa also remarked that Los Blancos were grateful for the effort he has been making to play through the injury at times.
On Tuesday, after it was confirmed that he would be out of their clash with Benfica, it was revealed that Mbappe could require surgery to address ligament issues if things do not improve. Diario AS claim that Mbappe is set against having surgery though, as he is desperate to make it to the World Cup this summer. As such, he will follow more conservative treatment options, primarily rest, but is exploring all other options to try and address a discomfort that has been ongoing for three months now.
Arbeloa admitted after Real Madrid’s win over Benfica that it may be weeks not days before Mbappe returns, and it appears his aim is to be back for their Champions League Round of 16 tie against Manchester City or Sporting CP in two weeks. Originally the aim had been to sit out against Getafe on Monday, and return to play Celta Vigo the following Saturday. Mbappe’s aim is to fully recovery first this time though, having pushed himself to play through it of late, which has aggravated the issue.
There is little doubt that while Mbappe continues to score, he has not shown the same explosiveness that he did in 2025. Without him, Real Madrid have fared relatively well, using Gonzalo Garcia in his stead. Doing so, Los Blancos have won three of their four encounters in 2026, scoring 13 goals, which should give Arbeloa some more peace of mind.
