Euro 2024 round of 16: Why is Kylian Mbappe wearing a black mask in France vs Belgium?

Mbappe, who is the third-highest goalscorer for his country, recently changed clubs, moving on a free transfer from Paris Saint-Germain to Real Madrid.

France’s Kylian Mbappe during the warm-up before the match. | Photo Credit: REUTERS

Kylian Mbappe is starting for France in its Euro 2024 round of 16 match against Belgium at the Dusseldorf Arena in Germany on Monday.

FOLLOW THE MATCH | FRANCE VS BELGIUM LIVE SCORE, EURO 2024

Mbappe, who is the third-highest goalscorer for his country, recently changed clubs, moving on a free transfer from Paris Saint-Germain to Real Madrid. He is also leading his country into a major tournament for the first time.

WHY IS MBAPPE WEARING A MASK?

Mbappé sustained a broken nose in France’s opening 1-0 win over Austria and didn’t come off the bench for the 0-0 draw with the Netherlands, despite France coach Didier Deschamps having sounded optimistic his star forward could play while wearing a face mask.

France’s Kylian Mbappe adjusts his face mask during a training session. | Photo Credit: AP

He returned to the starting lineup for France’s final group stage match against Poland where he scored in the 56th minute from the spot. It was the France captain’s first-ever goal in the Euros.

Mbappe did feature in the Euro 2020 edition but failed to find the net in its four games since it was knocked out in the Round of 16 by Switzerland on penalties. It was also his 23rd shot in the tournament, including the previous edition.