- Kylian Mbappé has been named in France’s starting team to play against Poland
- The captain of Les Blues returns to the field after previously breaking his nose
- Listen to It’s all starting! Placing Trent Alexander-Arnold in midfield was a “progressive move but unfortunately it didn’t work”
Kylian Mbappé has been named in France’s starting XI for their final Euro 2024 group stage clash against Poland.
The Les Blues captain was previously on the bench in the previous goalless draw against the Netherlands after breaking his nose.
Tuesday’s match is Mbappé’s first time playing since breaking his nose against Austria and he will wear a protective mask for the rest of the tournament.
Previously, Mbappe appeared to feel some discomfort while wearing his specially designed black protective mask during warm-ups for France’s final clash before removing it while sitting on the bench.
The 25-year-old had a specially designed mask made for him after undergoing a procedure to repair his broken nose which sparked fears his tournament would be over.
Kylian Mbappé has been named in France’s starting XI for their final Euro 2024 group stage clash against Poland
The Les Blues captain was previously on the bench in the previous goalless draw against the Netherlands.
French fans attending the Dortmund match wore masks similar to Mbappé’s.
An original mask featured a French flag design which was later banned by UEFA due to not complying with their rules and regulations on facial use, and Mbappé has now had to wear an all-black design.
Supporters wanted to show their support for the nation’s golden boy who previously guided France to the World Cup title in 2018 and the subsequent final two years ago.
Thousands of French fans attending Tuesday’s game in Dortmund came to the match wearing a brilliant array of face masks paying tribute to Mbappe.
Some fans opted for a matching black face mask worn by Mbappé, while others used his previous French flag-inspired design and one individual even showed up wearing a Ninja Turtles mask.
Poland arrived at the match with a special gift for Mbappé: a unique protective mask, designed by a Polish company and sent as a gift to Euro 2024.
The design is based on the children’s show Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles which Mbappé revealed he is a fan of.
Polish goalkeeper Marcin Bulka, Mbappé’s former teammate at PSG, plans to give him the gift in the stadium, probably after the match.
Some fans chose to wear black masks similar to Mbappé’s while others opted for different designs.
Mbappé is expected to wear his protective mask for the rest of the competition.
Team manager Didier Deschamps previously claimed that Mbappe was “really looking forward to playing” following his injury and was subsequently named as a starter up front against Poland.
It remains to be seen how the Real Madrid superstar will cope with his new facial attire after it was revealed he has struggled to see his mask properly.
‘Breathing, no. But vision, yes. It limits vision a bit. It is supposed to protect in such a way that in certain situations it limits the angle of vision,” Deschamps explained.
‘A greater risk of playing in the middle? No, contacts are everywhere, in all duels. It all depends on the position. You have to get used to it, it’s like you have 3D glasses,” he added.
