Real Madrid have diagnosed Ibrahima Konaté with a collateral ligament injury in his right leg after tests on Thursday, clarifying the centre-back’s condition following his early exit from France’s Nations League camp.
Club medical report
In a medical report dated 24 September 2026, Real Madrid said tests carried out that day by the club’s medical services showed a collateral ligament injury in Konaté’s right leg. The club added that it is awaiting further progress and did not publish a return date.
The diagnosis follows Konaté’s release from Zinédine Zidane’s France squad earlier the same day. France’s staff had said the Real Madrid defender felt knee pain in training, underwent an MRI on Wednesday that showed a slight sprain of the right knee, and was sent back to his club after talks between the France and Real Madrid medical teams.
France withdrawal and Yoro call-up
Konaté’s withdrawal was the third since the squad gathered on Monday, after goalkeeper Robin Risser and midfielder Warren Zaïre-Emery. Manchester United defender Leny Yoro, previously with France’s Under-21s at Clairefontaine, was called into the senior group for the first time as his replacement.
William Saliba was already unavailable for the camp with a back injury, so losing Konaté further thinned France’s central-defensive options ahead of the Nations League opener away to Türkiye.
What happens next
France face Türkiye on Friday evening at Kocaeli Stadium in İzmit, then Belgium on 28 September, Italy at the Stade de France on 2 October and Belgium again on 5 October. Konaté remains under Real Madrid’s care while the club monitors the injury; neither Real Madrid nor the French federation has issued a competitive return timetable.
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