Kylian Mbappé felt like he was playing a virtual reality game when wearing a mask at Euro 2024 to protect his broken nose, describing the experience as “a real nightmare.”

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“It’s really difficult. It limits your vision, sweat gets trapped so you have to keep lifting it for the sweat to come out,” Mbappé said. “As soon as I can take it off, I will. It’s really annoying, really annoying, really annoying.”

“Now, I don’t have any other choice, I can’t play without it. So I have to say thank you to the mask,” he added.

Those two draws had seen France drop to second place in Group D — with Austria topping the group — and put the Les Bleus in the top half of the draw that few had expected.

Belgium also unexpectedly made it to the top half, finishing runners-up in a group with Romania after a 0-0 draw with Ukraine under boos from the crowd.

“The teams that are considered the big nations on paper, we’re doing everything we can to stay in it,” France coach Didier Deschamps said. “But the reality is it’s very tense, extremely tense.”

Deschamps acknowledged his team were not scoring many goals, but at least he had his biggest threat back.

Mbappé said, “I’m ready to sacrifice myself for the team.”

Kylian Mbappé felt like he was playing a virtual reality game when having to wear a mask to protect his broken nose at the European Championship.

The France star smiled as he recounted the story on Sunday, just before their last-16 clash with Belgium. However, it is clear he is not enjoying having to play the “masked man” at Euro 2024 — “a real nightmare”, he said.

“I had the feeling in the first match that I was playing in a 3D environment,” Mbappé told reporters, putting his hands on the sides of his head and mimicking wearing VR goggles. “I could see people but it felt like I wasn’t really playing,” he shared.

Mbappé’s nose was broken in an accidental collision with the shoulder of an Austrian defender in France’s 1-0 opening win on June 17. Without a captain and main scoring threat, France drew 0-0 with the Netherlands, and in his mask return, Mbappé played cautiously but still scored from the penalty spot in the second straight draw.