Kylian Mbappe 'Not Doing Well' After Nose Injury

Kylian Mbappe “is not doing well,” reported France’s coach Didier Deschamps, after potentially breaking his nose during Monday’s 1-0 win over Austria. Philippe Diallo, president of the French Football Federation, informed reporters in Düsseldorf that Mbappe “does not require an operation.” However, they remain uncertain about the full extent of his injury. Late in France’s opening game of Euro 2024 in Düsseldorf, Mbappe collided with Kevin Danso’s shoulder while heading the ball. This collision resulted in a significant facial injury, causing a lot of bleeding. After receiving treatment on the field, Mbappe walked off and France attempted to substitute him with Olivier Giroud.

However, play resumed before they completed the substitution. Mbappe returned to the pitch without permission and sat down, leading to a yellow card. Giroud then replaced him. In the post-match press conference, Deschamps commented, “He’s not doing well. His nose got badly hit. We need to check it out, but it seems quite complicated, which is really unfortunate for us. The medical staff are examining him. I saw him on the massage table, and he didn’t get off lightly. It’s still to be seen, and I cannot give a precise answer at this stage.” Mbappe, with 47 goals in 80 appearances for France, plays a crucial role in their hopes of securing a third European title.

His cross in the match against Austria led to Max Wober scoring an own goal, which secured France’s win. Mbappe, set to join Real Madrid from Paris St-Germain this summer, has yet to score in the Euros but has 12 World Cup goals to his name. When asked about Mbappe potentially missing their next game against the Netherlands on Friday, Deschamps replied, “I’m not going to speculate but the French team is always stronger with Kylian. If the news isn’t positive, we’ll have to fight without him.”