Hours after Kylian Mbappé broke his nose during France’s opening game at the Euro 2024 and was asked to wear a mask if he plays another match, the French football star asked for face mask ideas on X. His post received a flurry of hilarious responses, including some predictable, some political.
French football legend Kylian Mbappé attempted levity early Tuesday after his collision with Austria’s Kevin Danso during France’s Euro 2024 opener saw him flat on the field with a badly swollen nose.
Medics diagnosed a fractured nose and recommended a face mask if the star striker plays another Euro 2024 match.
As the news rippled on sports and social media sites, Mbappé took to X.
“Any ideas for masks?” he asked fans.
The ideas came in fast, furious – and funny.
“Here you go, Kylian,” replied a fan with a photograph of Mbappé wearing a Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtle mask.
The suggestion was a reference to a November 2017 joke by Mbappé’s Paris Saint-Germain (PSG) colleagues, when they gifted the young striker with a mask of the Ninja Turtle character, Donatello.
Mbappé had been ribbed for apparently resembling Donatello and the locker-room clip went viral seven years ago.
For those who did not remember, another fan helpfully posted the clip of PSG footballers gifting Mbappé the mask. “You do not even need to buy one,” said the fan.
Macron, Bardella and Le Pen in the picture
Other fans made digs at Mbappé’s recent wading into France’s fraught political terrain ahead of snap general elections later this month.
Over the weekend, Mbappé called on France’s youth to vote against the "extremes" in the elections.
Read moreMbappé urges young people to vote, warns against ‘extremes’ ahead of snap polls
While his comments were welcomed as “exemplary” by French Sports Minister Amelie Oudéa-Castéra, far-right leader Jordan Bardella on Tuesday blasted the recent political statements by Mbappé and fellow striker Marcus Thuram.
"I have a lot of respect for our footballers, whether Marcus Thuram or Kylian Mbappé, who are icons of football and icons for youth… But we must respect the French, we must respect everyone's vote," Bardella told CNews TV.
"When you're lucky enough to have a very, very big salary, when you are a multi-millionaire ... then I'm a little embarrassed to see these athletes ... give lessons to people who can no longer make ends meet, who no longer feel safe, who do not have the chance to live in neighbourhoods overprotected by security agents," he said.
On X, Mbappé was offered masks of President Emmanuel Macron and far-right French politician Marine Le Pen.
Right-wing supporters posted Le Pen face masks in the nationalist red-white-blue colours of France. Left-wing supporters, on the other hand, made snide references to Mbappé’s perceived affinity for Macron, a centrist politician viewed as pro-business and pro-rich by left-leaning voters. The French president has frequently hosted the star French footballer in recent years.
“This one will suit you perfectly,” said one reply.
‘Private message me’, says rugby star
Mbappé’s injury is a big deal for France, as the country’s captain, its best player and one of the biggest stars of the Euro 2024. It’s a concern for Real Madrid, too, after he left PSG as a free agent to sign for the Spanish club in the offseason.
France’s priority will be to get him back on the field and leading its bid to win a record-equalling third Euros.
But the speed of his return will depend on the level of discomfort he feels.
The French Football Federation said Tuesday it had received “positive” news about Mbappé’s chances of continuing at Euro 2024 as he will not need immediate surgery. But it did not specify how long it would be before he is able to play again.
“The news is rather reassuring so far as there are no operations planned for the immediate future. As for his participation in the rest of the tournament, it’s a bit too early to give a timetable,” federation president Philippe Diallo said.
The banter continued on Tuesday, when Mbappé tweeted France rugby star Antoine Dupont for mask ideas.
Dupont had surgery after fracturing a cheekbone in the early stages of last year’s Rugby World Cup in France. The scrumhalf was back training within a fortnight and returned to play in the World Cup quarter-final.
The rugby star had a specially fitted mask made but in the end wore only a scrum cap in his return match.
"Any ideas for a mask?" Mbappé asked Dupont on X.
"Private message me for a promo code. I have some solutions. Above all, good luck," Dupont replied.
(With AFP)
