Kylian Mbappé will leave the France national team camp with a tendon injury in his left knee, despite scoring the only goal in a 1-0 win over Turkey on Friday in Zinédine Zidane’s first match as head coach.
The Goal, and the Injury That Followed
Mbappé opened the scoring in the 54th minute, giving France the lead in Zidane’s Nations League debut. Shortly after completing the move, he went down holding his left knee. He received on-field treatment and attempted to continue, but was substituted in the 59th minute, replaced by Désiré Doué.
The goal marked Mbappé’s 12th for France in 2026, matching his own record for the most goals by a Les Bleus player in a single calendar year in the 21st century — a mark he first set in 2022. It was also his 67th international goal overall.
Zidane and the French Federation Confirm the Severity
Speaking to TF1 after the match, Zidane didn’t downplay the injury: “It’s not looking good and we will not take any risks. Unfortunately I think he is going to have to go home. He overextended his knee while shooting. It’s not very encouraging.”
The French Football Federation later confirmed Mbappé is suffering from a tendon injury in his left knee and will return to Real Madrid for further assessment and treatment. He has been ruled out for the remainder of the international break, which includes three more Nations League fixtures over the next ten days: away to Belgium on Monday, then home matches against Italy and Belgium on October 2 and 5 at the Stade de France. Both Real Madrid and the French federation are now waiting on scan results to determine the full extent of the injury and an expected recovery timeline.
A Winning Start for Zidane, Overshadowed by the Injury
Despite the injury concern, Zidane’s first match in charge ended in three points — a milestone in its own right. He became the first coach to win his first match at the helm of France since Aimé Jacquet’s win over Italy in 1994. France now sit second in Group A1, behind only their upcoming opponents, Belgium, on goal difference.
Zidane spoke positively about his team’s performance despite the difficult atmosphere: “It’s very emotional. It’s a successful debut. It’s not easy to come and play in Turkey, with such a complicated atmosphere. We played the game we needed to. We played well; we pressed them high up the pitch. I saw a lot of interesting things even though we’ve only had three and a half training sessions.”
Turkey’s Performance in Defeat
Turkey, coached by Vincenzo Montella, pushed France throughout the match and had genuine chances to score, including an unmarked diving header from Ismail Yüksek that drew a strong save from France goalkeeper Mike Maignan. The two sides finished with 12 shots apiece, and Turkey’s expected goals tally (1.1 xG) was only marginally behind France’s (1.2 xG).
“I am proud; it’s a shame we were unable to leave the field with a positive result,” Montella told Sky Sport Italia. “It was an incredible performance, one of our best, especially considering who we were up against… I saw a great team spirit, and that is something we need to carry with us into the next matches.”
What Comes Next
France will need to navigate the rest of this international window without their captain, starting with Monday’s away trip to Belgium. Updates on the severity of Mbappé’s injury are expected once medical scans in Madrid are completed, which will determine how much club and international football he stands to miss beyond this camp.
