You could say that Kylian Mbappé has been ankle-deep in speculation since he left the field during France’s 2-0 win over Morocco. His early departure from the quarterfinals of the 2026 FIFA World Cup left fans worried that something was afoot or maybe a-ankle with him. He’s since told reporters that he endured a “minor ankle injury,”though, and that he’s “completely fine.”
Team France would not be “completely fine” with any real injury to Mbappé. The 27-year-old is not Les Bleus star but also the World Cup’s big star along with the other three players contending for the Golden Boot awarded to the footballer with the most goals by the end of the tournament: Argentina’s Lionel Messi, England’s Harry Kane and Norway’s Erling Haaland. Mbappé has already scored eight times in this World Cup to bring his total over three World Cups to 20. When it comes to most goals over a World Cup career, that trails only Messi, who has 21.
Now, it’s difficult to tell for sure how Mbappé may be when France takes the field against Spain on July 14 for the semifinal title against Spain. He did not mention specifically what the ankle injury is. That makes Mbappé’s situation a bit reminiscent of theHanson song MMMBop where it goes, “Can you tell me? Oh yeah. You say you can but you don’t know.” Without the specifics of his ankle injury, we really don’t know.
What Are The Possible Ankle Injuries
Chances are, though, Mbappé has one of three types of ankle injuries. These are based on the major structures that a human typically has in his or her ankle—assuming, of course, that Mbappé is indeed human. Firstly, the ankle joint is the convergence of three main bones: the tibia, which is essentially your shin bone, the fibula, which is a thinner bone on the outer side of your lower leg, and the talus, which is uppermost bone of your foot. Secondly, there are ligaments connecting these bones to each other. And thirdly, you’ve got muscles from the lower leg—mainly the gastrocnemius, soleus and tibialis anterior—that connect to your ankle bones via tendons.
Therefore, one type of ankle injury would be some kind of fracture to one or more of the bones. This would not be a “minor” injury that’s “completely fine.” A fracture that’s displaced—meaning that the bone pieces are out of place—would require surgery. A non-displaced fracture would still require some kind of stabilization, like a cast of major brace.
A second type of ankle injury would be a stretching or tearing of one or more of the ligaments, the fibrous bands of tissue that connect one bone to another. Such an injury to a ligament is called a sprain. A sprain can range in severity from a Grade 1 one, which are very small, micro-tears all the way up to a Grade 3, which is complete rupture of the ligament. A complete rupture would require surgery.
An ankle sprain can fall into one of two categories depending on which ligaments are affected. Those involving the ligaments above the ankle joint are considered high ankle sprains. These often more concerning sprains result from twisting or outward rotating your foot. More common are the low ankle sprains that involve the lateral ligaments below the joint and usually result from the the ankle being rolled inwards
The third type of ankle injury involve the tendons that run along the ankle. These can get inflamed and even torn. Inflammation along is called tendinitis and can result from chronic overuse.
How Will Mbappé Be Against Spain
Of the aforementioned possibilities, the most likely possibility is an ankle sprain. And if Mbappé’s calling it “minor” and saying that he’s “completely fine” points more towards a Grade 1 ankle sprain. This alone won’t keep Mbappé out of the lineup against Spain this Tuesday. However, even a minor ankle sprain could hamper his activity and performance to some degree. It also does make the area more prone to further injury.
So, Mbappé, Team France and French fans will have to take all of this step-by-step. What was probably some kind of twist to Mbappé’s ankle will add yet another twist to the heavyweight semifinal match between France and Spain this Tuesday that will already be loaded with drama.
