France striker Kylian Mbappe has announced he has fully recovered from a knee injury and aims to play in all of Real Madrid's remaining matches this season as he builds towards the FIFA World Cup 2026. The 27-year-old missed four league games this year due to a lingering knee issue from last season but came off the bench in the 64th minute of Madrid's 3-2 victory over Atletico on Sunday.

Mbappe has been named in the national squad for friendlies against Brazil on March 26 and Colombia three days later in the United States, which is co-hosting the June 11-July 19 World Cup with Canada and Mexico. In an interview with online sports newspaper AS, the forward stated, "I have made a 100 percent recovery. I prepared for the last two World Cups in the best way possible, which is to play, score goals, win titles, and fight until the last minute for my club, and this year I am going to do the same to arrive in top form."

Mbappe scored a hat-trick in France's World Cup 2022 final loss to Argentina in Qatar and won the tournament's Golden Boot award with eight goals. He addressed speculation about his recovery, noting that "some false things have been said" about his return for the 1998 and 2018 world champions. "It's the life of a top athlete, and we're used to people saying things without verifying them or having any basis in fact," he added.

France will compete in Group I at the World Cup with Norway, Senegal, and the winner of an intercontinental playoff. Mbappe's recovery is crucial not only for Real Madrid's title pursuits in the season run-in but also for France's preparations for the global tournament, highlighting the high stakes for one of football's biggest stars.

Source: www.aljazeera.com