Mbappe suffered a broken nose in the opening match against Austria and has since been wearing a protective mask during training. He missed the 0-0 draw against the Netherlands but returned to score a penalty in the 1-1 draw with Poland in the final group stage match. The 25-year-old forward admitted feeling “uncomfortable” while wearing the protective mask.
“I think if you break your nose, don’t have surgery, and continue to play, you become a target,” Mbappe said at a pre-match press conference before facing Belgium. “I know the risks of choosing not to have surgery and to keep playing. I might experience pain from collisions, but I’m ready to give my all to help France go as far as possible. If someone hits my nose, it won’t matter; it’s already broken.”
Mbappe wore the mask during a training session with the French team on June 30. Photo: FFF
Mbappe sustained the injury during an aerial duel with Austria’s center-back Kevin Danso. The collision left the French captain on the ground, bleeding heavily, and with a displaced nose. Mbappe admitted he initially feared that he would have to miss the rest of Euro 2024.
“I really didn’t understand what happened in that clash,” he recalled. “I didn’t feel my nose breaking. It was when I looked at our goalkeeper and saw his face that I felt something was wrong. When I returned to the locker room after the match, I thought I would need surgery and couldn’t continue playing.”
The new Real Madrid signing revealed that he lost sleep for two nights afterward and constantly consulted doctors to check on the injury due to his anxiety. Mbappe described feeling “helpless” while sitting on the bench during the draw with the Netherlands and felt fortunate to be able to return for the match against Poland.
According to Mbappe, playing with the protective mask limits his vision, making it difficult to adjust, and he has gone through five different masks during recent training sessions. “The first few days felt like I was wearing 3D glasses,” the French captain shared. “I kept changing masks because each time something bothered me, it just wasn’t quite right. But there’s nothing I can do because this is the only way I can play.”
Match Prediction
Round of 16
23:00, 1/7/2024
France vs. Belgium
Prediction
Ahead of the Euro 2024 Round of 16, the Belgian Football Association (BFA) posted a video to “heat up” the showdown between Belgium and France. In the video, comedian Pablo Andres asked, “Who will kick Mbappe’s shin?” to which midfielder Amadou Onana responded by naming himself, implying he would foul the French forward.
The BFA faced considerable criticism and had to remove the video. Belgian media spokesman Stefan Van Loock stated that the video was meant to be humorous and apologized to anyone offended by it. Belgian comedian Andres has done various work for the BFA, including interviewing players on YouTube and creating video clips for social media accounts.
