Kylian Mbappé had admitted his discomfort before the meeting (“Playing with the mask is horrible”) and also his research on the subject: “You saw that I changed five times but there were not all the photos, I changed more than that.” The striker, officially a Real Madrid player since Monday, played for the first time in competition with a new version, which he already wore in Paderborn during the last two training sessions before this France-Belgium (1-0). This model is dotted with holes all around the eyes, no doubt in an attempt to combat one of the main problems faced by the captain of the Blues: sweating.
Didier Deschamps drew a mixed assessment of the situation. “He’s getting used to it.”he first estimated, stressing that “The important thing is consolidation (of the nose)better every day ». However, the discomfort still seems to be present and it is difficult not to make a link between the player’s unusual imprecision (5 shots, 0 on target) and the protection.
“He feels like he’s seeing the images in 3D”
Didier Deschamps, coach of the Blues
“There is the aspect linked to sweating, with the efforts, which can bother him a little, even if he can wipe himself from time to time, Deschamps explains. In terms of vision, from what he tells me, he feels like he sees the images in 3D. Even if they are tenths of a second… For front vision, it’s okay, but it can lead to less clear lateral vision. But hey, he’ll have to get used to it because, to protect him, he’ll have to wear it for a few weeks or even a few months.” Still black and plain, as required by UEFA, the mask was this time equipped with a dial on the side to adjust the settings.
