Real Madrid confirm Kylian Mbappe hamstring injury, with El Clasico and 2026 World Cup on the horizon

Mbappe was taken off in the second half of Real Madrid’s 1-1 La Liga draw against Real Betis on Friday after feeling some discomfort.

He signalled to the bench that he wanted to be substituted and, after a short consultation with medical staff, he headed straight down the tunnel at Estadio de La Cartuja.

Early indications suggested it was a hamstring issue but after the match, manager Alvaro Arbeloa said: ”I have no idea [what’s wrong with Mbappe]. He felt some discomfort. We’ll see how he evolves over the next few days.”

Those days have now passed, and the club has confirmed the problem.

”Following the tests carried out today on our player Kylian Mbappe by the Real Madrid Medical Services, he has been diagnosed with an injury to the semitendinosus muscle in his left leg. His recovery will depend on how the injury evolves,” they said in a statement.

Madrid currently trail Liga leaders Barcelona by 11 points, and they will be hoping Mbappe recovers in time to face their rivals in El Clasico on Sunday, May 10.

Before that, they face another trip to Catalonia to take on Espanyol in a bid to narrow the gap on Hansi Flick’s side.

Mbappe will prove a big miss for them as, despite spending a number of short-term spells on the sidelines with injury this season, he has 41 goals across all competitions so far.

It is the latest injury blow for Arbeloa, who also recently found out that Turkish midfielder Arda Guler and Brazilian defender Eder Militao will be out for the rest of the season with hamstring injuries.

Assessing the wide gap in La Liga, boss Arbeloa bemoaned his side’s ”luck” following the draw with Betis.

”If we had a clear reason, we’d fix it,” he said. ”When results are so close, so tight, these kinds of situations can happen. And it’s clear we haven’t had much luck.”

Hector Bellerin scored a 94th-minute equaliser for Betis, but there were questions over a foul in the build up to the goal.

”To me, it’s very clear. It doesn’t take much in situations like that, where you use your body, to lose your balance a little,” Los Blancos' coach added.

”But to see that, you have to understand a bit about football. And we have a problem because the people making the decisions don’t understand. 

”A disappointment, like so many other times. A very clear penalty in the first half that could have sealed the game for us.”

It could prove to be a second successive trophyless season for Madrid, who were dumped out of the UEFA Champions League by Bayern Munich at the quarter-final stage.

Following matches against Espanyol and Barcelona, Madrid's final three matches of the Liga season see them host Real Oviedo and take a trip to Sevilla before the curtain comes down on their 2025/26 campaign against Athletic Club at the Bernabeu.

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