On the early morning of June 18, France faced a terrifying moment in their opening Euro match against Austria. Star player Kylian Mbappé collided with Austrian defender Danso during an aerial challenge late in the game, resulting in a broken nose. French head coach Didier Deschamps expressed concern after the match, stating that Mbappé’s nasal condition was poor and required further observation.
Mbappé briefly returned to the pitch after treatment but was later booked for entering the field without permission. Eventually, he was substituted by Giroud.
According to Spanish newspaper Marca, following the match, Mbappé was taken to Düsseldorf University Hospital by ambulance, where he will undergo examinations and a decision on surgery will be made within the next few hours.
Deschamps commented after the game: “Mbappé’s nose looks terrible; we’ll see how it goes. That’s the bad news tonight, even if it’s just his nose, it’s problematic for us.”
The coach added, “He’s not feeling well, the situation is not good, he’s been treated by medical staff. His nose is definitely hurt, it looks severe. It’s a loss for us tonight.”
Medical experts have suggested that Mbappé’s injury might require around 10 days of recovery time.
Experts also mentioned, “We’ve seen athletes play with protective devices. He’ll need some time to recover, the next 10 to 15 days will be challenging. A comprehensive imaging assessment is needed to see if it’s just a nasal septum issue or damage to other facial bones, like the cheekbones. If so, unfortunately, his tournament is over. If it’s just cartilage, it would need to be reset. We could risk having him play with a protective device, but he’d need a week of rest.”
Marca reports that the French medical team will conduct a thorough examination of Mbappé in the coming hours, while within the team, discussions are already underway about the possibility of Mbappé wearing a protective mask to continue in the Euros.
Fans are generally worried about Mbappé’s recovery timeline. France’s next match is scheduled for June 21 against the Netherlands, a fixture that will significantly impact the group standings. Their final group-stage game is set for June 26 against Poland.
Looking at similar cases, such as those of Fekir and Saúl, both players missed approximately 10 days due to nasal bone fractures and septal deviations, casting a heavy shadow over Mbappé’s participation in the remaining group matches.
