Euro 2024: no operation, what an absence, France hanging in the face of Kylian Mbappé

“He will not vote nostril”. “Nose down, the Blues won”. Social networks have had a field day since Monday evening. At the same time, France has rediscovered fear. The one that quite regularly escorts its big stars in international competitions, all sports combined, from Antoine Dupont to Zinédine Zidane. Against Austria, and despite the 1-0 success at the opening of the Euro, Kylian Mbappé was added to this list as prestigious as it is dark. After a week of being on the front lines in the face of political news in France, the captain of the Blues came out with a broken nose, arousing the greatest concerns and all the attention of the European press.

Bloody after a shock on the shoulder of Austrian defender Danso in the 87th minute on Monday, the future Madrilenian was treated on the pitch before giving up his place in the 90th minute. “To the French supporters: I am sorry that Kylian Mbappé was injured during our duel. I wish him a good recovery and I hope he can quickly find his place on the pitch”wrote the Lens player, Danso, a few hours later on X.

“He’s a warrior, he’ll be fine.”

Before him, Mbappé’s partners had tried to reassure. “It’s not much. He’s a warrior, he’ll be fine”thus affirmed Adrien Rabiot. “It will do”, there will be no operation”also explained the president of the FFF, Philippe Diallo, who reiterated his optimism this Tuesday.

Close-faced and quite annoyed by an upcoming bus trip “three hours without escort” in the German night, Didier Deschamps, on the other hand, was much more worried the day before. “He is not well, he is in poor condition. This is obviously the downside of this evening. I am not going to make do with ifs. But the French team with Kylian will always be stronger”whispered the coach in a post-match press conference.

Mask, concussion and absence

At this moment, “DD” was waiting to know exactly the nature of his striker’s injury. This initially sparked fears of an emergency operation, information that was initially confirmed by several media outlets. But radiological examinations at a hospital in Düsseldorf ruled out surgery. Before a press release from the FFF made everything official at 2:03 a.m. “Kylian Mbappé has returned to the base camp of the French team. He will undergo treatment in the coming days, without undergoing surgery immediately”wrote the management of the Blues.

“A mask will be made in such a way as to allow the number 10 of the French team to consider resuming competition after a period devoted to treatment”, the text continued. The use of protection was expected and Mbappé himself preferred to smile by asking on his social networks “any ideas for masks?”.

If wearing protection has become quite classic in current sport, the duration of unavailability nevertheless casts a huge shadow over the French team. According to specialists, a broken nose would necessarily imply a concussion. And therefore the recovery protocol that accompanies it. Without forgetting the effects – headaches during exercise or not –. To this extent, the former Parisian’s participation in Friday’s match against the Netherlands seems very unlikely. What then about the match against Poland on Tuesday June 25?

An attack to rethink without “Kyky”

If confirmed, this absence would force the French team and Didier Deschamps into a real headache. Because even with Mbappé, decisive on the only goal of the match, the Blues did not shine in the offensive animation on Monday. Like the clumsiness of Ousmane Dembélé or Marcus Thuram. The coach should in any case review his plans. By integrating Olivier Giroud, replacement against Austria? “I’m not thinking about myself right now, the center forward reacted on Monday. I think of him (Kylian Mbappé), of the team.”

This doubt recalls dark hours of French sport. In 2002, Zinédine Zidane’s thigh, affected in preparation, triggered a wave of fears. It led to the pitiful elimination of the Blues. After two of the three matches played without “Zizou”, the reigning world champions were eliminated in the first round of the World Cup in South Korea and Japan.

Closer, during the last Rugby World Cup in France, the star of the French XV, Antoine Dupont, was the victim of a maxillo-zygomatic fracture, at the level of the temple, during the second group match against Uruguay, in September 2023. Operated, the Toulouse native was able to return to the field three weeks later. But his recovery had largely monopolized the attention. And the blue rugby players, too, ended up sinking in the quarter-finals despite the return of their star.