France captain Kylian Mbappé will have to undergo an operation after breaking his nose in the Austria match. This was confirmed by national coach Didier Deschamps. It is unclear whether and when he will be able to play again at the European Championships.
“Even if it doesn’t have to be immediate, he will have to undergo surgery,” Deschamps said in a video released by the French Football Federation on Tuesday evening (June 18, 2024).
Mbappé collided with Kevin Danso’s shoulder in the 86th minute of France’s opening match against Austria. After brief treatment, he was substituted with a bleeding nose.
Association President: “Too early for prognosis”
“There will be further examinations on Wednesday to see how things develop,” Deschamps continued. “Obviously the impact was enormous. The medical team did everything to mitigate the consequences as much as possible.”
The French association had confirmed the severity of the injury the night before after an examination at the University Hospital in Düsseldorf.
Deschamps: “Decide day by day”
Initially it was said that Mbappé would be treated “in the next few days” and that a face mask would be made so that the 25-year-old could play again quickly. Now, however, association president Philippe Diallo has been more cautious.
It is still too early “to give a timetable for his further participation in the tournament,” said Diallo. France will face the Netherlands in its second group match (Friday, 9 p.m., live on Das Erste).
Deschamps also did not dare to make a prediction: “He was already feeling a little better this morning, now we will have to wait and see from day to day,” said the coach.
Mbappé himself apparently took the injury with humor. “Ideas for masks?” Mbappé wrote on “X” that night, accompanied by a smiley. Face masks in football are usually made of carbon and cover the nose area, among other things. Germany’s defender Antonio Rüdiger, for example, played with such protection at the 2021 European Championship.
