The ‘Kaká case’ raises red flags for Mbappé

Kaká in 2010. Mbappé today. Two global stars at the center of stories that are not identical, but strikingly parallel. A left knee. A World Cup looming. What happened with the Brazilian is no longer a mystery: it ended in surgery, and delaying the operation extended his recovery timeline. Mbappé’s situation, however, is still unfolding. There are a few established facts about his injury and many unanswered questions. He suffered it on December 7 in a play during the match against Celta. An awkward movement. A twinge of pain. The beginning of an ordeal that, at the time, did not appear ominous.

The initial diagnostic imaging did not reveal much beyond a minor trauma to his left knee. He missed just one game, against Manchester City, and played the final three matches of the calendar year against Alavés, Talavera, and Sevilla. There has been speculation that Mbappé pushed through pain during that stretch, chasing Cristiano Ronaldo’s record for most goals in a calendar year, 59, which he ultimately matched.

From there, the uncertainty began. After the Christmas break, Mbappé opened the new year by missing the team’s first four games. Real Madrid issued no further medical report beyond the initial statement following the Celta match, which described a knee sprain. By that point, however, talk had already surfaced that the French forward might have damage to his lateral collateral ligament. “Like the lateral meniscus,” Dr. José González, a veteran sports trauma specialist with extensive experience in elite Spanish soccer, told AS, “the outer ligament does not limit a player as much as the inner one. That’s why Mbappé can play with a mild strain, but with repeated stress he eventually feels pain.”

Based on the information made public, Dr. González does not view Mbappé’s condition as alarming. “If there’s nothing beyond what we know, the solution is clear, in my opinion. He simply has to stop. Stop for real until the issue resolves.” Mbappé did stop, but not for long. From December 20, against Sevilla, to January 14, when he played a full match against Levante, 24 calendar days passed. During that stretch, he logged only 14 minutes, a token appearance in the Spanish Super Cup final against Barcelona. After that, he played six matches normally before resting against Real Sociedad, then featured in Lisbon in the first leg, visibly hampered, and again at El Sadar, before being ruled out of the Champions League return leg. The pain has not subsided since December 7, and alarm bells are now ringing. As AS first reported, the player is seeking second medical opinions.

Kaká’s case offers a warning for Mbappé.

In 2010, Kaká went through a similar situation that ultimately tarnished his time in Madrid. He was dealing with an issue in the lateral meniscus of his left knee and played through pain in the second half of the season. He did not want surgery with the World Cup in South Africa around the corner. He made it through the tournament as best he could. There were even reports of injections, though Brazil national team doctor José Luiz Runco denied them. By preseason in August, however, Kaká had to leave the United States urgently for Antwerp, where Dr. Marc Martens, then considered the world’s leading knee specialist, operated on him. Martens had previously treated Ronaldo Nazário, Ruud Gullit, Fernando Redondo, and Filippo Inzaghi.

Although Kaká had already undergone surgery in 2008 for a partial meniscus tear in the same knee, Dr. Martens’ arthroscopy revealed not only damage to the lateral meniscus but additional injury to a ligament, the same one now reportedly affected in Mbappé’s case. That complication extended his recovery to four months. “Players always believe they can play through discomfort,” Martens told AS at the time, immediately after the procedure. “They don’t grasp the consequences, and if the patient doesn’t alert the doctor that something is wrong, there’s nothing the doctor can do. When they sent me the images, I called Kaká and told him, ‘Come see me immediately, because the problem could worsen.’” He concluded bluntly: “Players think they can play with pain. He should have spoken up sooner.”

Now it is Mbappé navigating the same maze Kaká once faced, dealing with left knee discomfort in the shadow of a World Cup. Since December 7, the pain has not disappeared, raising concern that the tests conducted so far may be masking an injury that could deteriorate further. There are two options: truly shut it down for several weeks, or undergo surgery to address the issue directly. For now, Real Madrid and the player prefer a conservative approach.

“My knee had been hurting for quite some time, but I didn’t realize it was serious,” Kaká admitted upon leaving the clinic in Antwerp.

Perhaps a warning sign for Mbappé.

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