France captain Kylian Mbappe suffered a broken nose in his team’s win over Austria at Euro 2024 on Monday which could hamper his ability to represent the national team for the remainder of the tournament but not end his participation.
France’s medical team swiftly confirmed to domestic broadcaster TF1 that Mbappe’s nose was indeed broken and although L’Equipe reported that surgery was initially expected at the University of Dusseldorf facilities, the decision was made against operating on the World Cup winner — for now.
“Kylian Mbappe has suffered a broken nose,” confirmed the French Football Federation via a statement issued via the French press overnight. “He is back in camp with the rest of the squad and will undergo treatment in the coming days without undergoing immediate surgery.
“A mask will be constructed in order to enable the French team’s No. 10 to consider resuming competition after a period of treatment” added the FFF which Mbappe sought to see the bright side of later by asking via social media for ideas for mask designs.
Mbappe clashed with Austria defender Kevin Danso in the 86th minute and came out of it with blood all over his face and jersey with medical staff quickly ascertaining that his nose was severely damaged.
Austria goalkeeper Patrick Pentz urged the medical team to give Mbappe attention moments after the incident and they worked on the player for several minutes.
Mbappe then made an attempt to re-enter the field but fell to the ground straight after and was subsequently substituted in the 90th minute with veteran forward Olivier Giroud taking his place.
France manager Didier Deschamps was brief with his post-match assessment of Mbappe’s injury but admitted it was one of the low points of the night.
“Kylian’s nose is not fine at all,” head coach Didier Deschamps told TF1 moments after the final whistle. “We will see, but obviously it is the biggest negative to take from this evening”
Before getting hurt, Mbappe played a key role in France’s win by forcing the own goal scored by Maximilian Wober in the 38th minute to ensure they would begin the Euros on a winning note.
Mbappe is still expected to play a big part for France as they aim to win the Euros for the first time since 2000, but even if he is cleared for immediate return by the medical team, he might now run into another issue in terms of his availability.
In his attempt to rejoin the match, Mbappe re-entered the field without the referee’s permission and picked up a yellow card for it — players will be suspended for one game at the Euros if they pick up two yellow cards, and bookings will not be wiped until after the quarterfinals.
France resume their Euro 2024 on Friday, when they face the Netherlands in Leipzig with top spot in Group D on the line.
