Mbappé Downplays Right Ankle Injury After 78th-Minute Exit in France's 2-0 Win

Q: Will a minor ankle knock derail Kylian Mbappé's historic chase for the Golden Boot and Messi's all-time World Cup goal record?

No. All the evidence points to Mbappé’s ankle issue being a minor knock rather than an injury likely to interrupt his tournament. France substituted him in the 78th minute of the 2-0 win over Morocco after a heavy challenge from Issa Diop, and he left with ice on his right ankle. But both Mbappé and Didier Deschamps quickly described it as precautionary. Mbappé said he was “fine” and that “everything is okay,” while Deschamps said he was feeling pain but did not suggest any serious damage. Mbappé was also seen celebrating normally after the match, reinforcing that view. That matters because his record chase is very much alive. His goal against Morocco took him to 8 goals and 3 assists at the 2026 World Cup, level with Lionel Messi in the Golden Boot race. It also lifted his career World Cup total to 20 goals, just one behind Messi’s all-time mark of 21. With France through to the semi-finals and guaranteed at least one more match, Mbappé should still have opportunities to equal or surpass that record. The only real caveat is match fitness over a short turnaround. Even a minor ankle problem can affect explosiveness, and Mbappé’s game depends heavily on acceleration and sharp changes of direction. But based on the medical signals from the camp and his own comments, there is no indication at this stage that the knock will derail either his Golden Boot bid or his pursuit of Messi’s World Cup scoring record.

3 articles · Updated · Yahoo Sports · Jul 9

Kylian Mbappé said he was "fine" after France substituted him in the 78th minute of a 2-0 quarter-final win over Morocco, with TV images showing ice on his right ankle.
Issa Diop's heavy challenge left Mbappé in pain and drew a yellow card, prompting Didier Deschamps to take him off as a precaution with France already in control.
Mbappé still shaped the result, scoring after halftime and helping create Ousmane Dembélé's goal after earlier missing a penalty.
Eight goals and three assists at the 2026 World Cup made Mbappé the first player to reach at least 10 direct goal involvements in two different editions, after his 8 goals and 2 assists in 2022.
France are through to the semi-finals, but Mbappé's ankle is likely to dominate attention before their next match.