Real Madrid have been handed a massive boost ahead of Wednesday’s crunch Champions League night in Munich — Kylian Mbappé is back, stitched up, cleared, and ready for war.
The French superstar missed training on Sunday at Valdebebas because he got a nasty cut above his right eyebrow during Friday’s 1-1 La Liga draw with Girona. It took three stitches to close the cut. The person who did it? A careless elbow from Vitor Reis that the referee and VAR both ignored, which made coach Álvaro Arbeloa very angry because it could have cost Madrid the title. The French superstar missed Sunday’s training session at Valdebebas after sustaining a nasty gash above his right eyebrow during Friday’s 1-1 La Liga draw with Girona — a blow that required three stitches to close. The culprit? A reckless elbow from Vitor Reis that neither the referee nor VAR chose to punish, leaving coach Álvaro Arbeloa fuming at the oversight and its potential impact on Madrid’s title race.
But on Monday, the mood at the training ground in Madrid got a lot better.
A Star Comes Back
On Monday, Mbappé jogged back onto the Valdebebas pitch with his teammates, putting any remaining fears to rest in a big way. The club had been careful to make it clear that Sunday’s absence was only a precaution and not due to any structural problems. You don’t need a mask. No drama. Just Mbappé, back and ready to go.
His return couldn’t have come at a better time. Madrid goes to the Allianz Arena down 2-1 from the first leg, thanks to Harry Kane’s two goals that put Bayern in charge. Luis Díaz scored the first goal, and Kane scored the second just 20 seconds into the second half. This was a brutal double blow that shocked the Bernabéu.
Mbappé’s Lifeline to Them
Mbappé himself wouldn’t let Madrid die that night. The 27-year-old scored his 14th Champions League goal of the season, which kept the tie alive and gave Arbeloa something to hold on to. “We’re still alive,” the Madrid boss told Movistar later, saying that his team could “win anywhere.”
That attitude, along with Mbappé’s lightning speed and ability to perform in big games, makes the second leg on Wednesday anything but a sure thing.
Everyone is watching the Allianz Arena.
Real Madrid will have real firepower when they go into enemy territory, with Jude Bellingham, who has also recovered from a hamstring injury, expected to play. Arbeloa says that Mbappé joined the club for nights like these, and he is the one Bayern will be most afraid of as Madrid tries to make a famous comeback.
The second leg of the quarterfinals starts on Wednesday at the Allianz Arena. Madrid needs the goals. Mbappé is in good shape. The stage is ready.
