Madrid, Dec 31 (IANS) Trailing table-toppers Barcelona by four points in the standings, Real Madrid suffered a setback on New Year’s Eve with forward Kylian Mbappe suffering an injury to his left knee and likely to miss the next few matches, the Spanish club said on Wednesday.

Madrid said in a brief statement that the French superstar had been diagnosed with a sprain but did not provide a timeline for his recovery.

“Following tests carried out today by the Real Madrid Medical Services on our player Kylian Mbappé, he has been diagnosed with a sprain in his left knee. His progress will be monitored,” the club said in a brief statement on its official website.

Meanwhile, French sports daily newspaper L’Equipe, without quoting a source, said Mbappe would be unavailable for at least three weeks. The newspaper added that Mbappe had been suffering for several weeks from an issue with the lateral ligament in his knee, and an MRI carried out on Wednesday morning revealed a lesion that requires treatment and rest.

Because of the injury, the French star did not participate in the year’s last training session in Madrid on Wednesday.

Mbappe’s injury is a big setback for Real Madrid as the striker has been in great form. Earlier this month, the French star scored his 59th goal for Madrid in 2025, tying the club record for the most in a year held by Cristiano Ronaldo.

Mbappé, who joined Madrid from Paris Saint-Germain (PSG) in 2024, has scored 29 times for Madrid this season, including a league-leading 18 goals in La Liga.

His absence could impact Real Madrid’s progress in the New Year as the proceedings continue after a short year-end break. Real Madrid will play their next match on Sunday.

The fact that Real Madrid play cross-town rivals Atletico Madrid in the second semifinal in the Supercup on January 8 in Jeddah means Mbappe has very little time to recover, and he has to be considered a major doubt for the competition, which has its final on January 11. Most believe that Real Madrid coach Xabi Alonso has his job on the line in Saudi Arabia, and the team could be playing for Alonso’s future without its star player.

–IANS

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