After breaking his nose in France’s Euro 2024 opener, at least Kylian Mbappe could see the funny side of things.

“Any ideas for masks” asked the France captain, after a visit to Dusseldorf’s main hospital.

Mbappe led Les Bleus to a 1-0 win over Austria in their first match in Germany, but left the field a bloody mess after colliding with the shoulder of Austria defender Kevin Danso. Medical tests were done and allayed fears that the soon-to-be Real Madrid superstar’s tournament could be over. Instead, the bone was reset and Mbappe hopes to continue playing as soon as possible.

A statement from the French Football Federation promptly followed, declaring: “Kylian Mbappe returns to the base camp of the French national team. Mbappe suffered a broken nose during the second part of the Austria-France held this Monday in Düsseldorf.

“The captain of France was treated first by the medical staff and Dr. Franck Le Gall, who diagnosed him with a nose fracture.

“Mbappe will receive treatment in the next few days, but he will not undergo surgery in the immediate future A mask will be made for him so that the number 10 of the French national team can prepare for his return to the competition after a period dedicated to treatment.”

Its positivity was a far cry from the forlorn figure France boss Didier Deschamps cut in his post-match press conference when asked about his star man in the bowels of the Dusseldorf Arena.

“He’s not doing well,” he admitted. “His nose got badly hit, that’s for sure. We need to check it out, but it seems quite complicated.

“Which is very unfortunate for us tonight. He didn’t get off lightly. It’s still to be seen [if he will play again].

“At this stage, I can’t answer. I don’t know.”

Man of the match N’Golo Kante added: “We were worried to see Kylian leave the pitch like that. We don’t know what the situation is but we want to see him back soon.”

And, while battered and bloody Mbappe may have been – he had left the stadium with medical staff wearing a surgical mask to hide his injuries before his team-mates departed on the team bus – his response on social media and that of the French Federation at least suggests all is not as bad as it may have been.

He left the hospital just after 1am and will now have to wait and see how things progress before thinking about whether he can play against Holland in Leipzig on Friday night.

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