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5 months ago
22
French superstar Kylian Mbappe looks set to wear a protective mask for the remainder of Euro 2024.
The Real Madrid forward suffered a broken nose after clashing with Austrian defender Kevin Danso in Les Bleus' opening game of the tournament.
The 25-year-old wouldn't be the first footballer to don the infamous Zorro like mask. And according to recent history, France's upcoming Euro opponents may have something to fear as there is a good track record of players dazzling whilst wearing a mask.
Players who have embraced the form of the mask include Manchester City' defender Josko Gvardiol, former Chelsea and Arsenal player Cesc Fabregas and Napoli striker Victor Osimhen.
Speaking to the BBC, previous mask wearer Cesc Fabregas said that the French international is 'too special' to be affected by wearing a mask.
Kylian Mbappe will be forced to wear a protective mask for the remainder of Euro 2024
The 25-year-old suffered a broken nose after clashing with Austrian defender Kevin Danso
He is expected to miss France's remaining two group games but will likely return for knockouts
He said that wearing a mask 'will not be an excuse' for bad performances as it 'will not make you play bad'.
But here, Mail Sport takes a look at how players have fared when wearing the eye-catching masks - and if the same fate awaits the French international.
Victor Osimhen
Arguably the most recognised player to wear a mask in the modern game is Napoli and Nigerian striker Victor Osimhen.
The footballer who calls Italy home has been wearing a mask since November 2021 after he was the victim of a terrible injury which saw him fracture his cheekbone in Napoli's Serie A fixture against Inter Milan.
It is unclear whether the 25-year-old still wears the mask to this day for protective reasons or if it is now just a superstition that he feels compelled to wear it.
Either way, the mask is working for him. The striker found the back of the net 17 times in 32 games for the Italian side last season, and the previous season, fresh from his injury he performed even better.
Scoring 31 times in 39 appearances, Osimhen became the league's highest scoring African player, breaking AC Milan legend George Weah's record, as Napoli claimed a historic Scudetto.
Arguably the most recognised player to wear a mask in the modern game is Victor Osimhen
Josko Gvardiol
Manchester City defender Josko Gvardiol headed into the 2022 Qatar World Cup equipped with a mask after suffering a broken nose when he clashed with his then-Leipzig teammate Willi Orban in a Bundesliga game.
Gvardiol was one of the standout defenders at the 22nd edition of the tournament, he played every available minute for his national side at the competition.
He even got on the scoresheet to secure the bronze medal for Croatia against Morocco.
Manchester City defender Josko Gvardiol headed into the 2022 Qatar World Cup with a broken nose and had to wear a mask for the entire competition
Son Heung-min
Another player who also represented played masked at the 2022 World Cup was Son Heung-min and like Gvardiol, the mask didn't hold him back.
Instead it appeared to give the South Korean player the edge at the tournament, most notably in South Korea's matchday three group game against Portugal.
Son carried the ball to the edge of the box before slipping it through to Hwang Hee-chan who slotted it home during stoppage-time to win the game 2-1 and send South Korea into the last 16.
Son Heung-min played a starring role in South Korea's victory against Portugal in 2022
Fernando Torres
The Spanish striker was given the nickname 'Zorres' during the 2013 season by Chelsea teammate Juan Mata after he spent several weeks in a mask after he fractured his nose against Steaua Bucharest in the Europa League.
Despite his nose being broken, Torres played a key part in Chelsea's winning Europa League campaign, scoring three times in the knockout stage for the Blues in five games whilst wearing the mask.
It is safe to say it proved to be somewhat of a good luck charm for the Spaniard.
Fernando Torres was given the nickname 'Zorres' during the 2013 season by Juan Mata
Cheslea's 2014-15 Ninja Turtles
Chelsea have seen their fare share of masked footballers, no more so than during their 2014-15 title-winning campaign.
One can't help but give into the conspiracy that the masks bring good fortune and form to players that wear it when you look at their squad.
Cesc Fabregas was one of the three Chelsea players obliged to wear a protective mask during the 2014-15 season - and he was wearing the mask when he scored a crucial match winner against QPR in 2015.
Nemanja Matic and Ramires were the other Chelsea stars to take up the identity of Zorro during the season.
Cesc Fabregas was one of the three Chelsea players obliged to wear a protective mask during the 2014-15 season
Ramires was the first of the three to don the mask during their 2014-15 winning season
Serbia international Nemanja Matic also had to wear the mask after suffering a facial injury
Robert Lewandowski
In 2015, world class striker and Poland's all-time leading goalscorer broke both his jaw and nose when he clashed with Borussia Dortmund's goalkeeper in the DFB Pokal semi-final.
The then-Bayern Munich striker would make his return to the pitch just two weeks after the incident as the German side faced Barcelona in the 2015 Champions League semi-finals.
He wore the mask in both legs of the fixture, and even found the back of the net in the second game.
However unlike the rest of the players on this list, the Polish man didn't have luck on his side as they were knocked out by Messi and Co.
In 2015 Poland's all-time leading goalscorer broke both his jaw and nose when he clashed with Borussia Dortmund's goalkeeper in the DFB Pokal semi-final (not pictured)
Paul Gascoigne
The original? One of the first players to walk onto the pitch wearing a protective mask was England's Paul Gascoigne.
The attacking midfielder wore a mask in England's 1994 World Cup qualifier game after he took an elbow to the face by Dutch player Jan Wouters in a previous qualifier game.
The blow to the face resulted in the English man fracturing his cheekbone, meaning he had to wear the mask for the rest of the season with Italian side Lazio.
Gazza's look for the game was likened to that of the Phantom of the Opera.
One of the first players to play wearing a protective mask was England's Paul Gascoigne
Lee Gregory
Sheffield Wednesday and Lee Gregory will look back fondly and laugh about their 2023 play-offs campaign.
The Owls striker played with a face mask throughout their play-off run after he suffered a facial injury on the last day of the season.
However disaster struck for him when he lost his custom-built mask during the team's mad celebrations after they overturned a 4-0 first leg deficit to advance to the final.
Gregory risked not being able to play for his side in the final as he could not take part in the action if he wasn't wearing the mask.
Before the day of the final, the club put out an appeal to help locate the mask, since the club were unable to replace Gregory's mask in time.
The Owls striker played with a face mask throughout their play-off run after he suffered a facial injury on the last day of the season
But was soon returned the club and Gregory was able to play his role in the final against Barnsley where they won 1-0.
Harry Kane
A strong theme throughout this player/mask love affair is the special connection it seems to have with strikers.
Both Osimhen and Lewandowski enjoyed major success when they donned the mask and another to add to the list is Harry Kane.
Kane had to wear a protective mask for his former club Tottenham back in 2016 after he underwent surgery for a broken nose which he received in Spurs' 1-0 defeat to Crystal Palace.
Kane had to wear a protective mask for his former club Tottenham back in 2016 after he underwent surgery for a broken nose
The England forward returned to the pitch with the mask for games against Swansea and West Ham but failed to make an impact.
The Zorro mask did eventually warm up and at the right time - the then-22-year-old scored a crucial goal against Arsenal in the north London derby whilst wearing the mask.
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