Didier Deschamps may not have lied about Karim Benzema’s withdrawal before the 2022 World Cup in Qatar, as he assured the court on Thursday as part of the defamation trial against Daniel Riolo. But it is certain, the coach of the France team was not very clear with the withdrawal of Kylian Mbappé for the meeting in Azerbaijan, last Sunday, at the end of the qualifiers for the 2026 World Cup.
The FFF specified, on Friday November 14, that the captain of the Blues was the victim of a “inflammation of the right ankle which requires examinations (…) this day in Madrid »but the Real player went to Dubai to attend a padel tournament, as he himself posted on Instagram. France having already qualified before the trip to Baku, it was certainly a diplomatic injury for the French number 10. He benefited from days of rest (or vacation). What his coach did not want to specify.
It is not known whether Mbappé has undergone examinations with the Whites’ medical department, but he has returned to collective training in the Spanish capital. On Friday, the Pichichi of La Liga and reigning European Golden Shoe gave his news in a story on Instagram with a photo of him performing an acrobatic volley. According to this photo, the prodigy from Bondy is in great shape. His club also released a video of one of his goals of the day.
Mbappé can continue
Real thus recovers a bouncing “Kyks” for the Liga match against Elche, Sunday evening (9 p.m.), then the Champions League poster on the Olympiakos field, next Wednesday. The Merengues are three points ahead in the standings over Barça, who play a shock against Bilbao on Saturday evening for their big return to the Camp Nou. He has 13 goals in the league and 5 in C1.
To challenge Elche, 11th in Liga, during this trip near Alicante, in the Valencian Community, Xabi Alonso will have to compose without his defensive rocks Antonio Rüdiger and Eder Militao, victims of a muscular injury, nor Dani Carvajal, affected in an ankle, and Franco Mastatuono due to pubalgia. Arda Güler or Brahim Diaz could accompany Mbappé, Vinicius and Jude Bellingham.
