Mbappe pays the price for his impatience.

Mbappe pays the price. Photo: Reuters .

In the match against Osasuna on February 22nd, Mbappe had a less impressive performance than usual. However, he still managed to leave his mark with a beautiful curling shot into the top corner of the net, but the goal was disallowed due to offside.

According to an announcement from the club on December 31, 2025, Mbappe suffered a sprain in his right knee. The injury originated during the match against Celta Vigo on December 7, 2025. Since then, he has never been 100% fit. The striker, born in 1998, also missed the Champions League clash against Manchester City.

Although the statistics aren't exactly alarming, Mbappe failing to score in two consecutive matches is still unusual considering his impressive goal-scoring record this season. In fact, the French captain is currently the most used attacking player in La Liga and ranks second overall in terms of playing time across all competitions.

Mbappe is not in his best physical condition. Photo: Reuters .

Clearly, Mbappe's excessive workload is having significant consequences. In the match against Real Sociedad, Mbappe didn't play a single minute despite being on the squad list, after two days without training with the rest of the team.

Prior to that, he had played seven consecutive matches, including six full 90-minute games, since significantly shortening his injury recovery time to be fit for the Spanish Super Cup.

The trip to Saudi Arabia in January also did not yield positive results for Mbappe. He only played 14 minutes in the match against Barcelona and showed clear limitations in his physical condition.

Experts believe Mbappe is determined to surpass Cristiano Ronaldo's calendar year goalscoring record at Real Madrid. However, shortening his recovery time to return to playing sooner, including the Spanish Super Cup in Saudi Arabia, seems to be costing him dearly.

Real Madrid needs to carefully consider how they use Mbappe in the coming period. If they continue to overwork their star player before he reaches 100% fitness, the Spanish giants could face greater risks during the crucial stage of the season.

Mbappe's speed: On the morning of September 6th, Aurelien Tchouameni made a long pass to Kylian Mbappe, who sprinted forward to score, helping France win 2-0 against Ukraine in the 2026 World Cup qualifiers in the European region.