He may well continue to live with this “absolute horror”, that of wearing a mask. These are the terms with which Kylian Mbappé defined the feeling of playing with this protection, the one that has not left him since his broken nose against Austria in the opening match of the Euro. Since then, the now Real Madrid player has not taken off his mask, or rather his masks, he who has worn at least five of them in the last two weeks.
And this could well be just the beginning. In a press conference after France’s victory against Belgium (1-0) in the round of 16 of the Euro yesterday, the coach of the Blues Didier Deschamps returned to the sensations his captain has when playing with a mask. “He is getting used to it. What is important is the consolidation which is better every day. The sweating bothers him but he is getting used to it. I have not tried his mask but he has the impression of seeing the field in 3D. The lateral vision is less clear. He may wear it for a few months, so he needs to get used to it,” he said.
The day before, Mbappé had spoken for the first time about his mask, his accessory that has even become a disguise for some supporters of the Blues. “I changed my mask because every time something was wrong. It limits vision, the sweat gets stuck, you have to take it off so it flows. I felt like I was in 3D and that I was invited to the Euro as a VIP. I felt like I wasn’t the one playing. I have no choice, but as soon as I can, I’ll take it off. It’s annoying, I’ve changed masks 5 times and there haven’t been all the photos, I’ve changed even more. My competition will be like that, but in no case will it be an excuse, I have to say thank you to the mask.”
It now remains to be seen whether, after touring German stadiums for the Euro, the Frenchman will still be masked for his first matches in the colours of Real Madrid. According to Didier Deschamps, that’s well on the way. The first elements of an answer will be on 14 August for the UEFA Super Cup or four days later in Mallorca for what could be the captain of Les Bleus’ first match with his new club in the championship, in Mallorca.
GIPHY App Key not set. Please check settings