France captain Kylian Mbappé wears tricolore mask in training after breaking nose at Euro 2024
By Ben Church, CNN
(CNN) — Soccer superstar Kylian Mbappé was pictured wearing a French-inspired tricolore mask during a training session on Thursday, after the France captain broke his nose during the team’s opening Euro 2024 win against Austria three days ago.
There had been fears the injury might rule Mbappé out of his nation’s second Group D match of Euro 2024 against the Netherlands on Friday, but France manager Didier Deschamps told reporters Thursday that the star should be available.
“Everything is going in the right direction after this major shock he had,” Deschamps said, per Reuters.
The star broke his nose in the 86th minute of Monday’s game. The 25-year-old inadvertently headbutted the shoulder of Austria defender Kevin Danso when challenging for the ball.
The forward was eventually substituted off and was seen walking down the tunnel with a blood-stained jersey.
The French Football Federation (FFF) said Mbappé was then taken to a local hospital, where X-rays confirmed the break.
“Kylian is doing well. The swelling has come down on his nose,” France forward Antoine Griezmann said, per Reuters. “We’ll see the last minute, depending on how he’s feeling.”
Mbappé was involved in non-contact training on Wednesday, wearing plasters over his nose. On Thursday, though, he wore the custom-made mask which had his initials emblazoned on it.
However, Mbappé is not allowed to wear the tricolore mask during a Euro 2024 match as UEFA’s rules stipulate that “medical equipment worn on the field of play must be a single colour and free of team and manufacturer identification.”
The Netherlands also won its opening Group D match, beating Poland 2-1.
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