Broken nose to force France’s soccer star Kylian Mbappé to wear a mask if he carries on in UEFA championship

Dusseldorf, Germany — Kylian Mbappé broke his nose during France’s opening game at the European Championships and will have to wear a face mask if he plays in the tournament. The French Football Federation said on Tuesday it had received “positive” news about Mbappe’s chances of continuing at Euro 2024 as he will not require immediate surgery. But he did not specify how long it will be before he can play again.

“The news is quite reassuring, as there are no operations planned for the immediate future. As for their participation in the remainder of the tournament, it is a bit early to give a timetable,” said federation president Philippe Diallo.

Mbappé was treated by team doctor Franck Le Gall and then went to Dusseldorf hospital after France’s 1-0 victory over Austria on Monday.

The federation said a mask would be made to allow Mbappé “to consider resuming competition after a dedicated period of treatment.”

“They tried to reduce the consequences of the fracture, so he could stay in the tournament,” Diallo said. “We’ll wait until the end of the day to see how things develop. But overall, I would say the information was quite positive.”

Mbappe remained on the ground after his face collided with Austrian Kevin Danso’s shoulder as he attempted to head home during the Group D match at the Dusseldorf Arena. His nose was very swollen and blood was running down his face, leaving parts of his white shirt red.

Austrian goalkeeper Patrick Pentz signaled for urgent medical assistance.

“We are worried to see Kylian leave the pitch like this,” French midfielder N’Golo Kante said afterwards.

Mbappé’s injury is a big problem for France, as the country’s captain, its best player and one of the tournament’s biggest stars. It is a concern for Real Madrid too, after he left Paris Saint-Germain as a free agent to sign for the Spanish club in the off-season.

Mbappé is widely considered the heir to Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo as the best player in the world and led his country to the 2018 World Cup title at the age of 19.

He became the second player in history to score three goals in a World Cup final four years later in Qatar, when France finished runners-up to Messi’s Argentina.

Champions League winners Madrid ended their years-long search for Mbappe earlier this month and he will join a superstar squad that included Vinicius Junior and Jude Bellingham.

France’s priority will be to get him back on the field and lead their bid to win a record-equalling third Euro. Real Madrid will want him to be in top condition for the start of the season and Mbappé already indicated this week that his new club did not want him to take part in the Paris Olympics, where the men’s final will be on August 9.

If you want to play in the Euros, you will need to wear the type of protective mask worn by Son Heung-min and Josko Gvardiol at the 2022 World Cup.

But the speed of his return will depend on the level of discomfort he feels.

A broken nose can take weeks to heal and the UK’s National Health Service says sport should be avoided for “at least six weeks if there is a chance of your face being hit”.

Mbappé returned to the team’s training ground to join the rest of the squad and appeared to see the lighter side of his injury.

“Any ideas for masks?” he posted on X.