Real Madrid’s injuries Mismanagement: Following an incorrect scan, Mbappe played with a torn knee.

At a pivotal point in their season, Real Madrid has found themselves in the spotlight for all the wrong reasons. As the team prepares for a crucial UEFA Champions League quarterfinal against Bayern Munich and trails Barcelona by four points in La Liga, focus has shifted from their on-field goals to growing worries about the club’s medical management.

Star striker Kylian Mbappe, who was purportedly authorized to play despite having a knee injury due to a significant diagnostic error, is at the center of the dispute. In December 2025, Real Madrid’s medical team accidentally ran an MRI on Mbappe’s right knee rather than his damaged left, according to a report by The Athletic that Goal.com cited.

Mbappe was cleared to resume playing because the examination revealed no problems with the right knee. Before the error was found, the Frenchman continued to play in three games, thereby making the ailment worse. Later, a new scan on his right knee showed that his left knee’s posterior ligament was partially torn. The incident is claimed to have influenced the 27-year-old’s decision to fire members of his personal medical staff earlier this year. He was allegedly “furious” upon learning of the misdiagnosis.

The incident has increased attention to Real Madrid’s medical department, which has undergone several changes in the last several years. Following a reorganization last summer, former chief physician Dr. Niko Mihic, who left in 2023, was rehired. Concerns have also been raised by the team’s ongoing injury issues, as players like Jude Bellingham and Alvaro Carreras have been sidelined in recent weeks. 

After former nutritionist Itziar Gonzalez said that the club’s employees had depended on AI tools like ChatGPT for guidance on nutritional supplements, more controversy arose, igniting a discussion about standards and professionalism. Mbappe has openly minimized worries about his fitness in spite of the commotion.

“My knee is fine. It is getting better. Things are going pretty well, and I know there was a lot of speculation about it and false things were said. That is the life of a top-level athlete,” he said. He added that he underwent a more thorough diagnosis in Paris and is now “100 per cent fit” as he builds towards the upcoming FIFA World Cup.