A brilliant night for France quickly turned sour when Kylian Mbappé reaggravated the ankle injury that kept him out of training for the last week, Didier Deschamps confirmed.
With just over 10 minutes to go in Les Bleus’ clash with Azerbaijan, Mbappé went to ground in pain, clutching the same ankle that he injured in Real Madrid’s 3–1 victory over Villarreal before he joined France for the October international window.
The Frenchman, who was briefly tended to by the national team’s medical staff, motioned to Deschamps to be taken out of the game. Mbappé limped off the pitch in the 83rd minute and went straight down the tunnel.
Following the match, Deschamps said: “He received another blow to the same ankle. The pain decreases when he rests. In a match, contacts are inevitably going to happen. We will assess it afterward. He has discomfort that is not ideal for him.”
Kylian Mbappé continues his DOMINANCE 🇫🇷
— FOX Soccer (@FOXSoccer) October 10, 2025
He gives France the lead late in the first half ‼️ pic.twitter.com/r5Ao5UoRsp
The setback comes after Deschamps said his captain arrived to camp with a “small problem” that kept him from training for most of the week. Yet the France boss assured the injury was “not a deal breaker” and in turn gave Mbappé the nod against Azerbaijan.
The Real Madrid superstar continued his goalscoring streak for both club and country, getting France on the scoresheet on the brink of halftime with a sensational goal that saw him dribble past six players to give his side the 1–0 lead.
Mbappé then set up Adrien Rabiot’s goal in the 69th minute. France went on to win 3–0, keeping their perfect record in 2026 FIFA World Cup Qualifiers.
Injury Could Hamper Mbappé’s Blistering Start
Mbappé is one of the most in-form players in the world right now, making him an early favorite for the 2026 Ballon d’Or award. The 26-year-old has now tallied 17 goals and four assists in 13 matches for club and country in 2025–26.
The forward has found the back of the net in 10 straight games. In fact, Mbappé was only held goalless against Mallorca this season; every other time he featured for Real Madrid or France, he scored.
An injury now for Mbappé would come at a particularly cruel time given his dominant start to the season. France would likely be able to manage against Iceland without him, but Real Madrid are gearing up for a difficult run that includes matches against Getafe, Juventus and Barcelona to close out October.
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This article was originally published on www.si.com as France Boss Confirms Kylian Mbappe Injury After Worrying Substitution.
