Kylian Mbappe was seen sporting his new mask during France’s 1-1 draw against Poland on Tuesday afternoon, but the striker is far from happy with the new equipment he is being forced to wear, according to French outlet L’Equipe. The mask is reportedly impacting his vision and performance during matches.
The 25-year-old is being forced to wear the equipment while on the pitch after suffering a horrific injury in France’s opening match of Euro 2024 against Austria. Mbappe challenged for the ball with a header but collided with Kevin Danso, breaking his nose in the process.
Concerns that France’s star player would miss a significant chunk of the tournament were quickly dismissed as he returned to training, but Mbappe will have to wear a mask until he has completely recovered. And that’s not going down well at all with the Real Madrid-bound forward, with his peripheral vision “severely limited” per reports.
Didier Deschamps: Mbappe Limited by Mask
Victor Osimhen’s mask for Napoli slightly different
Although the mask itself does not cover a significant part of Mbappe’s eyeline, his mask has been manufactured to prevent any further injuries. Because of that, it is 5mm thick, which is much chunkier than the one sported by Napoli striker Victor Osimhen.
That, consequently, is limiting how effective he is proving to be on the pitch. His manager Didier Deschamps had spoken ahead of their draw against Poland, saying that the striker was struggling to get used to the protection.
“Breathing, no. But vision, yes. It limits vision a little. It’s supposed to protect so in certain situations, it limits the angle of view,” he said.
“A greater risk of playing in the middle? No, the contacts are everywhere, in all the duels. It all depends on the position. You have to get used to it, it feels like you have 3D glasses.”
Robert Lewandowski had also spoken about the difficulty of wearing a mask during matches, having gone through a similar procedure to Mbappe. The Polish frontman fractured his jaw and nose in 2015, and said that wearing a mask to protect himself severely limited his vision.
“When I had to wear a mask myself, it wasn’t nice. It’s quite annoying, especially in the penalty area, I had problems, I didn’t react, I couldn’t see, my field of vision was hampered,” he said.
“It’s a few milliseconds but it can slow down a player. It’s a challenge, it’s not pleasant, but of course a player’s health is more important.”
France’s Route to Euro 2024 Final
Les Bleus given difficult draw after finishing second in Group D
Although it will take time for Mbappe to get used to wearing a mask during games, France will need him to become accustomed to it as quickly as possible. Les Bleus, having failed to beat Poland, now face a difficult route to the final after finishing second in Group D.
Drawn on the same side of the knockout rounds as Germany, Portugal and Spain, Deschamps’ squad will have to eliminate multiple European heavyweights if they want to taste success in the competition for a third time. But before facing any of those sides, a crunch match against Belgium awaits them in the round of 16.
Mbappe will prove key to any triumphs France taste in the knockout rounds, and will be hoping that more goals lie in store for him after he got off the mark against Poland. As one of the best players at the tournament, it will only take a moment of magic from him to turn the tide in any of those games.