DUESSELDORF, Germany (AP) — Kylian Mbappé has had more masks than goals at the European Championship.
The France captain is struggling with his peripheral vision in the masks that were fitted to protect his broken nose from his country’s opening game at Euro 2024.
He wore a third different mask on Monday in the 1-0 win against Belgium in the round of 16. The striker failed to hit the target in five attempts on goal against Belgium.
He has only one goal in the tournament.
“You’ve got the sweat aspect and we know sweat can get in his eyes. He’s getting used to it, but it can affect his vision,” coach Didier Deschamps said. “Everything in front of him is fine, but there’s a delay with his peripheral vision.”
Mbappé broke his nose in an aerial collision with Austria’s Kevin Danso, and has described the mask-wearing experience as “an absolute horror.”
His only score so far was a penalty against Poland. “I saw people but I had the feeling it was not me that was playing,” he said after that game.
Mbappé was initially fitted with a custom-made mask that was designed in the colors of the French flag. But UEFA rules state protective equipment has to be a single color, and he switched to an all black version against Poland.
He changed it again for the knockout game against Belgium with a version that appeared to be more custom-cut to the contours of his face. It also had more ventilation than his previous masks and was held on with one strap, rather than two.
But it didn’t seem to make a lot of difference, with Mbappé’s shooting often wide of the mark.
It could be a problem for Real Madrid if Mbappé still requires a mask at the start of next season after he completed a move to the Spanish giant last month.
Before that, Mbappé and France have a quarterfinal against Cristiano Ronaldo’s Portugal on Friday.
It is the first time World Cup winner Mbappé has gone this far at a Euros after France lost in the last 16 in 2021 to Switzerland after a penalty shootout.
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James Robson is at https://twitter.com/jamesalanrobson
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AP Euro 2024: https://apnews.com/hub/euro-2024
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Rephrased content:
Kylian Mbappé, the captain of the French national team, has been struggling with his vision while wearing masks to protect his broken nose at the Euro 2024 championship. In the recent round of 16 match against Belgium, Mbappé wore his third different mask but failed to score in five attempts on goal, bringing his total goals in the tournament to one. Coach Didier Deschamps expressed concern about how sweat and peripheral vision issues might affect Mbappé’s performance.
The French striker sustained a broken nose from a collision with Austria’s Kevin Danso during a previous match, leading to the need for protective masks. Mbappé has described the experience of wearing the masks as challenging, with his only goal in the tournament so far coming from a penalty kick against Poland. Initially, he wore a custom-made mask designed in the colors of the French flag but had to switch to an all-black version to comply with UEFA rules.
For the Belgium game, Mbappé opted for a new mask that appeared to be more tailored to his facial contours and provided better ventilation. Despite the adjustments, his shooting accuracy remained a concern. If Mbappé continues to require a mask at the start of the next season at Real Madrid, where he recently transferred, it could pose a problem. France faces Portugal in the quarterfinals, with Mbappé’s performance crucial for his team’s success as they aim to improve on their previous Euro 2021 exit at the last 16 stage against Switzerland.
