Kylian Mbappé has been wearing a protective mask since the third match of the Euro, and the adaptation seems difficult.
Kylian Mbappé’s mask has been at the heart of discussions around the French team since his injury during the first match of the Blues, against Austria, on June 17. During a contact with an Austrian defender, the captain of Didier Deschamps’ team broke his nose, causing him to come off and be absent for the second match of the group stage, against the Netherlands.
Since his return to competition against Poland, Kylian Mbappé has been wearing a protective mask. Although he initially appeared in training with a tricolour mask with several inscriptions, Mbappé has finally worn a plain black mask during official matches, in accordance with UEFA regulations.
Although the mask he wears was made to fit his face perfectly, it doesn’t prevent Kylian Mbappé from being bothered when he runs. During the quarter-final against Portugal, but also during previous matches, he was often seen touching his mask and putting it back in place.
He also spoke at a press conference about the difficulty of playing with this protection on his face. “I didn’t think so, but playing with a mask is an absolute horror,” he confided after the match against Portugal. “It’s really complicated because it limits your vision, the sweat gets stuck. As soon as I can take it off, I will. Now, I have no choice, I can’t play without it.” His teammate Randal Kolo Muani confirms this vision problem: “What’s it like with the mask? You really can’t see anything, it’s hard. Honestly, it must be complicated.”
However, Kylian Mbappé is not the only football player to have already worn a mask in competition to protect a facial injury. Napoli striker Victor Osimhen wore a mask for a very long time following fractures to the eye socket and cheekbone, to the point that he kept it after his convalescence. This will clearly not be the case for Kylian Mbappé. For the semi-final against Spain, Kylian Mbappé could once again change his protection, for a mask made from a scan of his face.