Bad news for Mbappé as Real Madrid star teammate suffers major injury setback after win over Barcelona
Kylian Mbappé was one of the standouts in Real Madrid’s win over FC Barcelona in Sunday’s El Clásico, marking his name on the scoresheet. However, bad news didn’t take long to strike Los Blancos, as one of their key players has now suffered a major injury setback.
El Clásico at the Santiago Bernabéu ended Barcelona’s run of four consecutive wins in the 2024-25 season, setting a new tone for the 2025-26 campaign. Real Madrid now sit at the top of La Liga with 27 points from 10 games, but they’ve been dealt yet another significant blow within the squad.
Real Madrid have confirmed that right back Dani Carvajal will be sidelined due to another injury to his right knee. The Spanish defender missed most of the 2024-25 campaign after suffering an ACL tear, and despite a careful recovery, Carvajal has suffered an unexpected setback upon his return to the field.
The club released an update on their captain Monday, detailing the severity of the issue and outlining the next steps. “Following tests carried out on our captain Dani Carvajal by the Real Madrid Medical Services, he has been diagnosed with the presence of a loose body in his right knee joint. Carvajal will now undergo an arthroscopy,” the statement read.
Carvajal entered El Clásico in the 72nd minute, replacing Federico Valverde, who appeared to have picked up a knock. Having logged just 443 minutes across eight matches (an average of 55 per game) in the 2025-26 season, reports from Spanish outlets suggest that, due to the nature of the injury, Mbappe could be without one of his captains for between two and three months.
Dani Carvajal confronts Yamal in El Clásico
Despite discomfort with the role, Federico Valverde had been assigned by Xabi Alonso to play at right back due to Trent Alexander-Arnold’s injury, with Carvajal only fit enough to serve as a substitute. The Spanish defender featured for 18 minutes with the score still 2-1, helping to secure the win, but he also became the center of controversy once the final whistle blew.
With Lamine Yamal having stirred up tension before the match, Carvajal immediately confronted the 18-year-old after the game, appearing to gesture that he “talks too much.” Soon after, Vinicius Junior, Thibaut Courtois, and other Real Madrid players followed Carvajal’s lead, with Yamal ultimately escorted to the locker room as tempers flared.