DUESSELDORF, Germany Kylian Mbappé had more masks than goals in the European Championship.
The France captain is struggling with his peripheral vision in the masks that have been put on to protect his broken nose of your country’s opening game at Euro 2024.
He wore a third, different mask on Monday at 1-0 victory over Belgium in the round of 16. The striker failed to find the net in five goal attempts against Belgium.
He has just one goal in the tournament.
“You have the sweat look and we know that sweat can get in his eyes. He is getting used to it, but it could affect his vision,” said coach Didier Deschamps. “Everything in front of him is fine, but there is a delay in peripheral vision.”
Mbappé broke his nose in a mid-air collision with Austrian Kevin Danso and described the experience of wearing the mask as “an absolute horror”.
His only score so far was a penalty against Poland. “I saw people, but I had the feeling that I wasn’t the one playing,” he said after the game.
Mbappé was initially equipped with a personalized mask designed in the colors of the French flag. But UEFA rules state that protective equipment must be a single color, and he changed to an all-black version against Poland.
He changed it again for the tie against Belgium, with a version that seemed more adapted to the contours of his face. It also had more ventilation than previous masks and was secured with one strap instead of two.
But that didn’t seem to make much of a difference, with Mbappé’s shots often wide of the target.
It could be a problem for Real Madrid if Mbappe still needs to wear a mask at the start of next season, having transferred to the Spanish giants last month.
Before that, Mbappé and France face the quarter-finals against Cristiano Ronaldo’s Portugal, on Friday.
It is the first time that World Cup winner Mbappé has reached this far in the Euros, after France lost in the 2021 round of 16 to Switzerland, in a penalty shootout.
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James Robson is in https://twitter.com/jamesalanrobson
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