European Championship 2024
Injured Mbappé – France and the nose of the nation
Ouch: Kylian Mbappé sits on the lawn of the Düsseldorf Arena with a bleeding nose
© Marius Becker / DPA
In the match against Austria, France’s superstar Kylian Mbappé broke his nose – and an entire country was worried about the superstar. He will probably be able to continue playing. The only question that remains is when.
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France were leading 1-0 at this point, and the Austrians were desperately trying to equalize Max Wöber’s own goal in the 38th minute. In the end, the result remained the same, which was deserved for the French, but not brilliant. No matter. France took the important three points, but lost their most important player. Mbappé had hit the shoulder of Austrian defender Kevin Danso with a header and had to be treated for several minutes. He was bleeding heavily from the nose and looked like a battered boxer. It was a terrible sight.
Didier Deschamps: “We lost no feathers, but we lost a nose”
“We lost no feathers, but we did lose a nose,” said Didier Deschamps, France’s national coach, afterwards. At that point, shortly after the final whistle of the match in Group D, it was not clear how serious the injury actually was. Mbappé was taken to the Düsseldorf University Hospital, where he was diagnosed with a broken nose. An operation was not necessary. That was the good news. On X, Mbappé later asked his fans if anyone had any ideas for a mask that he could continue playing with. At least it was a good sign, the 25-year-old superstar had not lost his sense of humor.
The question that remains is: When will the French captain be ready to play again? This is not only a question for coach Deschamps, but for the whole of the Grande Nation. Most recently, Mbappé made a statement in the parliamentary election campaign and spoke out against the extreme forces of the left and right. Now he is once again in the spotlight. As the newspaper “Le Figaro” reports, Mbappé will be out for 15 days. This means that the 25-year-old will miss the remaining two games of the preliminary round, and a possible appearance in the round of 16 could also be in jeopardy.
Germany will probably remember the “calf of the nation” when looking at the pictures. During the 2008 European Championship, the whole country, and especially the “Bild” newspaper, were worried about captain Michael Ballack, who was suffering from a mysterious muscle hardening and was in danger of missing the European Championship final against Spain (Ballack got fit in time, but his team famously lost the final against Spain 0-1).
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Unclear when Kylian Mbappé will be ready to play again
The French may not be playing for the final, but the group with Austria, the Netherlands and Poland is a demanding one. In their next match against Holland they want to secure their place in the round of 16 and finish first in the group. If everything goes according to plan, they will only meet Germany in the semi-finals (if everything goes as planned for the German national team!).
It remains to be seen whether Mbappé will be able to play against the Netherlands in five days. To be on the safe side, Deschamps had already given the order after the final whistle to “keep fighting”, regardless of whether the best player in the world is ready to play or not.
The match against Austria once again showed how important the captain is for the team. It was Mbappé whose cross pass after dribbling in the penalty area led to an own goal against an aggressively fighting Austrian team. He had the most chances to score, even if he missed one 100% chance. In the 55th minute he put the ball next to the right post when he appeared free in front of Austria’s keeper Patrick Pentz. The superstar was visibly uncomfortable with the missed opportunity.
The fact is: despite the immense quality of the squad, the French cannot really replace the winger. “A French national team with Kylian is always stronger,” stressed Deschamps after the game. He should know.