MIAMI (AP) — Kylian Mbappe has been hospitalized with an acute case of gastroenteritis to add to a difficult start for Real Madrid at the Club World Cup.
World Cup winner Mbappe missed the Spanish giant’s opening game of the tournament on Wednesday — a surprise 1-1 draw against Saudi Arabian team Al Hilal in Miami — because of a fever.
Coach Xabi Alonso said the France international was in “rough shape” and hadn’t been able to train for days. His hospitalization now casts doubt over what part he might be able to play in the monthlong tournament in the United States, with Madrid facing Pachuca in Charlotte, North Carolina, on Sunday.
Madrid said Mbappe would “undergo a series of tests and follow the appropriate course of treatment.”
Gastroenteritis is also known as stomach flu and symptoms can include vomiting and diarrhea.
Mbappe’s absence is a blow to the Club World Cup, which FIFA president Gianni Infantino hopes will be one of the elite events in soccer and rival competitions like the Champions League and Premier League in popularity and value.
After Lionel Messi, Mbappe is arguably the biggest star in the show, with Madrid one of the favorites to lift the trophy in the inaugural edition of the tournament.
But a crowd of more than 62,000 at Hard Rock Stadium missed out on a rare chance to see him in person in the U.S. when he was unavailable for Madrid’s first game at the home of the NFL’s Miami Dolphins.
Alonso missed him, too. Madrid was underwhelming against Saudi Arabia’s most successful team and missed a 92nd-minute penalty to win the match.
It was Alonso’s first game in charge of the 15-time European champion, which is famously demanding of its coaches. He replaced Carlo Ancelotti, who left to join the Brazil national team after winning three Champions Leagues and two Spanish titles in two stints at the club.
Despite being the overwhelming favorite against Al Hilal, Madrid had to settle for a draw after surviving a number of scares in the first half — leaving Alonso to call for patience.
“We know this is going to take time,” he said.
The 26-year-old Mbappe was Madrid’s top scorer last season, with 43 goals in 56 appearances in his first year since joining from Paris Saint-Germain.
His hospitalization comes almost exactly one year after he sustained a broken nose at the European Championship and had to wear a face mask to continue playing in the tournament.
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James Robson is at https://twitter.com/jamesalanrobson
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AP soccer: https://apnews.com/hub/soccer
