Real Madrid’s Mbappe hospitalised with acute gastroenteritis at start of Club World Cup tournament

Real Madrid’s star forward, Kylian Mbappe, has been hospitalised with an acute case of gastroenteritis, his club said on Thursday.

26-year-old Mbappe missed Wednesday’s opening match of the Club World Cup tournament against Saudi Arabian team Al Hilal in Miami on Wednesday because of a fever.

Real Madrid Coach Xabi Alonso said he hoped the France International would be available for the club’s next match against Pachuca on Sunday but his hospitalisation casts doubt over what part he might be able to play in the monthlong tournament in the United States.

Madrid said Mbappe would “undergo a series of tests and follow the appropriate course of treatment.”

Mbappe’s absence is a blow to the tournament, 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 US when he was unavailable for Madrid’s surprise 1-1 draw by Al Hilal on Wednesday.

Gastroenteritis is also known as stomach flu and symptoms can include vomiting and diarrhea.

Mbappe’s hospitalisation comes almost exactly one year after he broke his nose at the European Championship and had to wear a face mask to continue playing in the tournament.