In the first round of the 2025 Club World Cup group stage, Real Madrid drew 1-1 with Al-Hilal. Real Madrid striker Kylian Mbappé had missed training due to a fever and was unable to recover before this game.

According to Marca, the French striker completed Xabi Alonso's second training in Miami and began to feel unwell after returning to the hotel. At first it seemed to be only a slight discomfort, but the French star was unable to even participate in the group photo of the event and could not meet Real Madrid president Florentino when he arrived.

In the third and last training session before the match against Al-Hilal, Mbappé had to hide in the room and abide by the isolation protocol established by Real Madrid to avoid infecting other players. In addition, Mbappé completely changed his diet because he could hardly eat and could only survive on fruits and Pocari Sweat at the worst.