Mbappé sets off alarm bells

Kylian Mbappé did not take to the pitch with his teammates in the training session before the City game and is now a serious doubt for the Champions League clash.

For Real Madrid, it felt like the training ground suddenly went quiet. Every camera that was pointed towards the session was waiting for one image: Mbappé lacing up his boots and jogging out with the group. That image never arrived. Instead, the first reports filtering out of Valdebebas spoke of absence, of concern and of a star who remains caught between his desire to play and the reality of his physical condition. Alarm bells are ringing at Real Madrid at what many already see as the key night of Xabi Alonso’s early spell in charge.

Camavinga was also missing from the group, although in his case the absence was expected. The French midfielder has been carrying ankle problems since the match against Athletic at San Mamés and the club had already planned to handle his workload with extreme caution. Even so, seeing him once again working away from the main group only added to the sense of a treatment room that is overflowing at the worst possible moment. What should have been a focused, tactical session to fine tune details before facing Manchester City turned into yet another reminder of the physical toll the season has taken on Madrid’s squad.

Mbappé’s presence against City remains a complete unknown as the match draws closer. The forward is still dealing with a broken finger and persistent muscle discomfort in his left leg that have not fully subsided. The finger problem might be manageable with protection and painkillers, but the muscular issue is far more delicate. It has already conditioned his participation in recent training sessions and once again limited what he could do before this final. In a game of such intensity, against an opponent that demands repeated sprints, sharp accelerations and constant duels, even a slight limitation can be decisive.

The coaching staff have not yet ruled out including him in the squad. On the contrary, every possible scenario is being kept open, from Mbappé starting the match to coming on for the last thirty minutes, to not making it onto the pitch at all. The decision will depend almost entirely on how he feels in the hours before kick off. Medical tests, physio work and pain management strategies can provide information and tools, but with a muscular issue of this type the player’s own sensations are fundamental. Xabi Alonso and his staff know that better than anyone and are prepared to wait until the last moment.

For Mbappé, the situation is a personal torment. He is clinging to any hope he can find not to miss what would be Xabi Alonso’s first final as Real Madrid coach. These are precisely the kind of nights that define legacies, that stay in highlight reels and trophy rooms, and that players of his level dream of ever since they are children. Missing it because of an injury that leaves him caught in a grey area between “fit to play” and “too much of a risk” is the sort of scenario no superstar wants to contemplate. The French star is currently on the provisional squad list, awaiting both the club’s official confirmation and his own final decision. Inside the club everyone is clear: Mbappé will have the last word on whether he steps onto the pitch.

If he is available, it will be in a very limited capacity. That is precisely what worries Xabi Alonso. A half fit Mbappé changes everything. It affects the way Madrid plan their pressing, the distance the defensive line can hold, even the type of transitions they can attempt. If he is unable to sprint repeatedly into space or press with his usual intensity, the team will have to compensate for him, which could distort the overall structure. The coaching staff are caught between two instincts. On one side there is caution and the desire to protect both the player and the long term interests of the club. On the other side there is the sheer magnitude of the match and the knowledge that even a limited Mbappé, operating at seventy percent, can still decide a Champions League final with a single run or a single shot.

Inside the club the message is clear. “He is a serious doubt, and if he plays he will do so very limited,” is the line that has been repeated in private. Those words sum up the dilemma. Xabi Alonso will spend the hours before the game going over two different plans in his head. One with Mbappé, in which the team look to strike quickly in transitions, exploit his speed behind the City back line and use his presence to pin defenders back. Another without him, where the focus shifts more toward collective combinations, the use of false nines and midfielders arriving late into shooting positions. The decision about which script to follow cannot be taken until the medical and physical information is complete.

As things stand, Madrid go into the game with seven confirmed absences. Carvajal, Trent, Huijsen, Militão, Alaba, Mendy and Camavinga are all ruled out and will watch from the stands or from home. It is a list that would be the backbone of many top sides. Two starting central defenders, both first choice full backs, a versatile wide defender, a dynamic midfielder and a ball winning all rounder in Camavinga. When you add a doubtful Mbappé to that list, the size of the crisis becomes clear. This is not simply a question of losing depth, it is a question of losing structure and automatisms that have been built over months of work.

To reinforce the squad, Xabi Alonso has had to turn to La Fábrica, Real Madrid’s famous academy, which has been the source of so many talents in the club’s history. Three youngsters have been called up and have serious options to play, especially in the league, where the injury situation is even more dramatic. Valdepeñas, Joan Martínez and Cestero have suddenly gone from being promising names on the training pitch to real alternatives for competitive minutes. For them, the situation is a unique opportunity. They are training at a level of intensity and focus that is rarely seen outside elite matches and are sharing a dressing room in which they can observe how top professionals prepare mentally for a final.

In training, Xabi Alonso has been careful to integrate these academy players into tactical drills rather than simply letting them make up the numbers. They have been placed in real game scenarios, asked to respond to pressing triggers, to understand pressing traps and to follow detailed instructions about when to step out of the defensive line or when to hold their position. The message to them is simple. They are not there as spectators, they are there because the team may genuinely need them.

For the coach, this enforced reliance on La Fábrica also has a symbolic dimension. Real Madrid’s identity has always been a mixture of global superstars and homegrown players who understand the club from the inside. In a final where some of the biggest names might not be able to play, seeing academy products on the pitch would reinforce that sense of continuity and belonging. At the same time, Xabi Alonso knows that too many changes and too much inexperience could be punished ruthlessly by a side of Manchester City’s quality.

In the end, everything comes back to Mbappé. His presence or absence will tilt the emotional and tactical balance of the night. If he starts, even with bandaged hand and strapped leg, the stadium will erupt as soon as he appears in the tunnel and City will know that they cannot relax for a single second. If he is only on the bench, there will be the constant question of whether and when he might come on. If he is ruled out completely, Madrid will need to build their confidence around something else. Around the collective, around the badge, around the idea that in their own stadium and in a final they always find a way.

For Xabi Alonso, this is the first great crisis of his project and the first truly defining test. He must balance medical reports, player wishes, tactical plans and the expectations of a fan base that lives for nights like this. Somewhere in the middle of all that, a decision about Kylian Mbappé will be taken. The outcome of the final may end up telling whether it was the right one.