Kylian Mbappe’s France call-up amid injury struggles addressed by Real Madrid coach Arbeloa
Real Madrid have been without Kylian Mbappe for most of their recent matches due to fitness concerns. Now, as he continues his recovery and gradually returns to action, the forward is set to join the France national team—something Alvaro Arbeloa addressed.
“It seems great to me,” the Real Madrid head coach said when asked about the situation during Saturday’s press conference, via Marca. “I don’t see any problem with him going to his national team. It’s good news.”
Arbeloa also offered reassurance regarding Mbappe’s physical condition. “He’s a player who is available to the coach, who has already played with us and who will definitely play tomorrow,” he added, referring to Real Madrid’s Matchday 29 La Liga clash against Atletico Madrid.
“Having many international players is positive because it means our players have a high level and quality. If they’re called up, it’s because they’re very good, which is good news for Real Madrid,” Arbeloa added.
Real Madrid players called up for the FIFA break
Mbappe’s situation is just one of several Real Madrid are dealing with ahead of the March international break. In total, 12 players from the squad will travel to join their respective national teams for international fixtures over the next week.
Mbappe, along with Eduardo Camavinga and Aurelien Tchouameni, will join France, while Antonio Rudiger has been called up by Germany. Dean Huijsen will represent Spain, while David Alaba joins Austria. The other European call-ups are Jude Bellingham (England) and Arda Guler (Turkey).
In South America, Vinicius Junior has been included in Carlo Ancelotti’s Brazil squad, while Federico Valverde will represent Uruguay. Franco Mastantuono was not initially included in Argentina’s squad but was added at the last minute by Lionel Scaloni. The final case is Brahim Diaz, who returns to Morocco after the controversial AFCON final against Senegal.
Several additional cases are also worth noting. Rodrygo and Eder Militao were not included in Brazil’s squad due to fitness issues, while Thibaut Courtois misses out for Belgium for the same reason. Trent Alexander-Arnold is also among the most notable absences from Thomas Tuchel’s England squad.