The first goal of Zinédine Zidane’s France reign came with a warning light. Kylian Mbappé settled Friday’s Nations League match against Turkey in Izmit, then left the field before the hour after feeling his left knee.
France won 1-0 at the Kocaeli Stadium, with Mbappé scoring his 67th goal in 107 appearances for Les Bleus. But the 27-year-old Real Madrid forward, wearing boots from new supplier On for the first time in a match, returned to Spain with a tendon injury and will miss France’s remaining three fixtures of the international break.
The move
Mbappé was unable to continue shortly before the 60-minute mark after planting his left foot on a visibly poor playing surface. Zidane, taking charge of France for the first time, said after the final whistle that the early news was “not good” and that there would be no risk taken with his captain.
Further examinations in Madrid will determine the extent of the problem and how long the forward could be unavailable. There is concern at Real Madrid, particularly because Mbappé had recurring discomfort in the same left knee across roughly 15 matches last season.
- Kylian Mbappé — France captain and former Paris Saint-Germain forward
- Zinédine Zidane — France head coach, beginning his tenure in Izmit
- Lucas Haaby — physical coach at National 1 side SR Colmar
The French season around it
The injury arrives after a significant week for Mbappé away from club football. He had announced a deal with Swiss sportswear company On, ending a long association with Nike that had run throughout his career.
During Real Madrid’s 2-1 derby loss to Atlético Madrid the previous Sunday, Mbappé wore plain white boots after concealing the Nike branding. He was later seen in a prototype On pair at Clairefontaine and had already tested the model in Madrid.
His appearance in the boots against Turkey came earlier than expected. An On co-chief executive had said on Wednesday that it was unclear whether Mbappé could use them in a competitive game before the brand’s planned 2027 market launch.
The timing prompted speculation that the new equipment could have caused the knee issue. Medical specialists, however, urged caution over drawing that conclusion, with the condition of the pitch a major factor in the incident.
Why the footwear question has no simple answer
Madrid-based knee-injury physiotherapist Ángel Villanueva explained that a player’s interaction with the ground is shaped by the stud pattern, sole stiffness, surface type and quality, moisture and the force applied through the foot.
A different boot can slightly alter grip, shape or rigidity, potentially affecting sprinting, turning and other athletic movements. Football-medicine researcher Dr Katrine Okholm Kryger has also noted that the way studs grip and penetrate the surface can contribute to serious ankle or anterior cruciate ligament injuries.
That does not establish a link in Mbappé’s case. Villanueva said new boots should generally be phased in through training, beginning with simpler drills before progressing to sprinting, braking, changes of direction and shooting work. There is no fixed timetable for that process, although explosive players require particular care.
Haaby similarly stressed that medical and performance staff must account for a player’s injury history and the surfaces he is about to face. He added that elite players such as Mbappé are likely to have had every detail assessed before using a new model in a match.
Yet match conditions cannot be fully recreated in testing. Accumulated fatigue, an unexpected challenge, a changing pitch and an awkward contact under pressure can all combine in a single movement. For France, that uncertainty now gives way to a more immediate wait: the scans on Mbappé’s left knee.
