Kylian Mbappé is the big missing name at the start of the Club World Cup
While Real Madrid appeared well positioned to continue its run in the Club World Cup in the United States, the tournament turned into an ordeal for its star forward, Kylian Mbappé. The Spanish side, facing RB Salzburg on Thursday, June 26, in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, for its third and final group stage match – kickoff at 3 am Friday, French time – announced that the Frenchman would once again be absent.
Suffering from acute gastroenteritis, the captain of Les Bleus missed his team's opening match, which ended in a draw with Al-Hilal of Saudi Arabia (1-1) on June 18. The following day, he was even briefly hospitalized before returning to the Merengue base camp in Miami, Florida. Still too weak Kylian Mbappé also had to withdraw from the match against Pachuca (3-1) on June 22. The 26-year-old's health improved in recent days: he first followed a tailored recovery program and then took part in group training on Wednesday. "I was glad to see him back on the pitch, but he is not fully recovered. I spoke with him and he is not yet at 100 %. We hope to have him back for the next round," coach Xabi Alonso said a few hours later at a press conference.
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