Within minutes, fans could catch Kylian Mbappe resume Euros action in France’s third group game against Poland after he broke his nose on game day one. As expected, Mbappe would sport a protective face mask, should he return to the field against Robert Lewandowski and Co. However, in a blow to the frenzy around the superstar’s protective mask, he will sport a solid black mask instead of the custom-made tri-color mask. So what happened to the customized France-themed mask? Protection aside, will the nose mask hinder Mbappe’s gameplay tonight? We have you covered.

During training, the Real Madrid forward stylishly wore the French flag on his original mask with his initials ‘KM’ emblazoned on it. But as things developed, Mbappe had to confine that customized mask to training sessions. Before the Poland tie, the UEFA banned the French skipper’s custom wear, citing it is not conforming to the federation’s rules and regulations on face wear.

Anyhow, the UEFA’s regulation of using an all-black mask has not hindered Mbappe’s eagerness to start for Les Bleus. Didier Deschamps has revealed that the French skipper is ‘raring to go’ against Poland.

However, the French boss had also confirmed in a pre-game presser that Kylian Mbappe is struggling to see out of his mask. Deschamps said the protective gear doesn’t affect breathing, but it limits the player’s vision. Shedding light on the seriousness of Mbappe’s nose injury, the France coach highlighted that he would have to get used to the facial wear. Incidentally, besides Deschamps, Mbappe’s rival and Polish captain Robert Lewandowski has spoken at length about the challenges of wearing a protective mask.

Lewandowski warns Kylian Mbappe of the struggles of using a face mask

Robert Lewandowski is no alien to a protective mask. During his Bayern Munich days, in 2015, the Barcelona striker had to sport one while recovering from a nose injury. However, that remains a forgetful memory for the Polish icon. “When I had to wear a mask myself, it wasn’t nice. It’s quite annoying, especially in the penalty area, I had problems, I didn’t react, I couldn’t see, my field of vision was hampered,” said Lewandowski, in a pre-game presser.

The 35-year-old added, “It’s a few milliseconds but it can slow down a player. It’s a challenge, it’s not pleasant, but of course a player’s health is more important. For a competition, emotions are very high and everyone wants to play at all costs. I understand the difficulties he[Mbappe] faces.”

Having faced two defeats in their group, Poland is already out of the 2024 UEFA Euro. With a draw and a win in hand, France will look to round off their group campaign with a win so that they comfortably make it to the knockouts. Only time will tell what role the masked Kylian Mbappe will play against Poland.