What state will Mbappé be in on the eve of Wednesday morning's Club World Cup semi-final against Paris Saint-Germain? Certainly better than four days ago, as he trained with the team without any issues. But he is still far from his best.
He is fully aware of this himself, having asked the coach not to start him in the previous two matches. Mbappé knows he can't last 90 minutes, and he's not the type to be substituted after 60 or 70 minutes, leaving just as gaps start to open up behind the opponent's defense. So he prefers to play in the final half-hour of the game.
It turns out he wasn't wrong. He enjoyed his time on the pitch against Borussia Dortmund. However, the 26-year-old Frenchman still looks emaciated. The weight loss didn't stop immediately after he was discharged from the hospital; he has now lost 6kg, and it's clear to him that he won't be able to return to his best before Sunday's final.
Sources reveal that Mbappé had already shown some symptoms before boarding the plane to Miami. Real Madrid played their first group stage match against Al Hilal in Miami (a 1-1 draw on June 18), and Mbappé also developed symptoms there. At the time, everyone thought it was heatstroke.
But the pain was bearable, and Mbappé thought it would get better. However, the illness didn't ease; instead, it worsened to the point of severe dehydration.
Real Madrid's staff didn't include his name in the first-team squad for the match against Al Hilal. At halftime, the club's doctors even warned the accompanying staff that he needed to be hospitalized. This time, there were fears of appendicitis.
