France captain Kylian Mbappé has faced more challenges with his protective masks than he has scored goals at the European Championship. Struggling with his peripheral vision in masks designed to protect his broken nose, Mbappé has worn three different versions since the tournament’s start.
On Monday, in France’s 1-0 win against Belgium in the round of 16, Mbappé failed to score in five attempts on goal. So far, his sole goal in the tournament came from a penalty against Poland.
“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,” France coach Didier Deschamps explained. “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 wearing the mask as “an absolute horror.”
Initially fitted with a custom-made mask in the colors of the French flag, Mbappé had to switch to an all-black version against Poland due to UEFA rules requiring protective equipment to be a single color. For the knockout game against Belgium, he wore a more customized mask with better ventilation and a single strap, but it didn’t improve his shooting accuracy.
This mask dilemma could pose a problem for Real Madrid if Mbappé still needs it at the start of the next season following his recent move to the Spanish giant.
Before that, Mbappé and France face a quarterfinal match against Cristiano Ronaldo’s Portugal on Friday. This is the first time World Cup winner Mbappé has progressed this far at a European Championship, following France’s last-16 exit in 2021 against Switzerland after a penalty shootout.
