France captain Kylian Mbappe surprised fans when he walked out for his side’s Euro 2024 semi-final against Spain by ditching the protective mask he has used since breaking his nose in his side’s opening fixture at the tournament.
The new Real Madrid star slammed his nose into the shoulder of Austria defender Kevin Danso in Les Bleus’ opening Group D match and was forced to sit out the goalless draw with the Netherlands before returning to action with a mask to protect the injury, which will require surgery following the tournament.
Mbappe has so far failed to live up to pre-tournament expectations, scoring just once from the penalty spot, with coach Didier Deschamps admitting that he has been ‘slightly off his game’ in Germany.
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The player himself asked to be substituted in extra-time of the penalty shootout win over Portugal, shortly after a ball struck him in the mask, clearly causing him issues, as he quickly applied an ice pack to his nose on the bench.
"We are convinced Kylian is in the right headspace, as are all of our players," Deschamps said ahead of the clash against Spain.
"He had an issue with his back, took a blow to the nose, it could have been the end of the road for him but he's still here.
"His field of vision is changed and it was a huge shock to him. I'm convinced he will do everything he can on Tuesday."
But it would appear that Mbappe has had enough of the mask restricting his vision and play, as he took to the pitch without it in Munich, with BBC commentator Steve Wilson saying “it’s not working for him.”
And it would appear that Mbappe’s choice to unmask himself quickly paid dividends as he provided an assist for Randal Kolo Muani to head home the opening goal just nine minutes in.
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