once fracturing his nose in his team’s opening match against Austria, Mbappe made his first start for France at the tournament while wearing a protective mask to prevent further damage.
It hasn’t entirely fulfilled its purpose, though, as the Real Madrid attacker winces in agony following a blow while vying for the ball.
After Mbappe’s free transfer to Madrid in Barcelona, he ended up battling with Robert Lewandowski, a forward from Poland who now plays for one of Mbappe’s prospective opponents.
Mbappe’s unsatisfied reaction to the altercation was captured on camera, as he appeared to lash out at the Poland attacker.
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Kylian Mbappe appeared to call future El Clasico rival Robert Lewandowski a ‘son of a b***h’
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The pair clashed during France’s draw with Poland, with Lewandowski inadvertedly hitting his opponent’s broken nose
He had been rumoured to be leaving PSG for some time, and in the summer he did just so when his contract expired, joining players like Just Bellingham and Vinicius Jr. in the Spanish capital.
Having joined Barca in 2022, Lewandowski’s future is now uncertain as Handsi Flick will succeed club great Xavi prior to the upcoming season.
Since Madrid prevailed in all three of the teams’ previous encounters, the match is frequently regarded as the largest in all of Spain.
Towards the end of the match, Mbappe resisted the challenge by removing his mask and holding his nose, which led to the altercation.
When Mbappe attempted to tackle Lewandowski from behind while he was shielding the ball, the Poland player threw his arms up and caught him in the nose.
The France captain looked to slam Lewandowski as TV cameras focused on him to respond to his injury.
Both players scored during the match, with Mbappe giving his team the lead in the second half with his first goal of the competition from the penalty spot.
But eleven minutes remaining, Lewandowski equalised from the penalty spot himself, and the game ended 1-1.
It wasn’t without controversy, though. Mike Maignan first stopped Lewandowski’s attempt, but VAR determined that the France custodian had erred in line.
After the second penalty was scored, France lost to The Netherlands in Group D, finishing second.