Kylian Mbappe ruled out of Real Madrid-Benfica: May need minor surgery

Real Madrid forward Kylian Mbappe has been ruled out of their second leg with Benfica in the Champions League play-off, after the French forward suffered an aggravation of his knee problem on Tuesday. Los Blancos missed Mbappe for the Spanish Supercup, and he sat out their win over Real Sociedad 10 days ago, but has now been forced to stop again.

Manager Alvaro Arbeloa had stated that he would be fit to play on Tuesday, but it appears Mbappe exited training with his knee issue playing up again. He has been dealing with a knee sprain for the past three months, but played 90 minutes against Benfica in Lisbon, and Osasuna in Pamplona. Real Madrid have left him out of their squad for the return leg though.

¡Nuestros convocados!
@SLBenfica pic.twitter.com/kYcAnXtqNy

— Real Madrid C.F. (@realmadrid) February 25, 2026

Mbappe will not return for at least two more games

According to Diario AS, Mbappe will not play against Getafe this weekend either. The France forward has decided to halt activity in order to resolve his knee problems once and for all, and is targeting a return against Celta Vigo on the 7th of March. His plan is to be fully fit for the Champions League Round of 16 should they progress.

Mbappe could require athroscopy if knee does not improve

The vast majority of reporting predicts that Mbappe will be back in action in March, but El Chiringuito say that there is a chance that he could require minor surgery if things do not improve. Mbappe has been dealing with his injury for three months at this point, and it continues to bother him.

"Mbappé quiere apostar por el tratamiento conservador con su rodilla….

…pero, si no mejora, no se descarta una pequeña intervención".

La EXCLUSIVA de @JuanfeSanzPerez anoche en @elchiringuitotv. pic.twitter.com/E8bJ8KmPLJ

— El Chiringuito TV (@elchiringuitotv) February 25, 2026

The 27-year-old no doubt has one eye on the World Cup in the summer, for which he will want to be in full flight. So far he has opted for the conservative treatment in a bid to balance his health and the club’s needs. Arbeloa had also said that he was grateful for the effort that Mbappe was making to play through discomfort on Tuesday, but it seems that he will be without him for at least two crucial games.

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