NFL legend and Burnley investor JJ Watt feels the pain of France star Kylian Mbappe having been left bloodied himself by an unfortunate broken nose.
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American football star left battered & bruisedReal Madrid-bound forward suffered similar fateBoth put bodies on the line for collective causeGettyWHAT HAPPENED?
Both men have forged their sporting reputations on the ability to barge through and beyond opposition defences. Watt’s job was to get at rival quarterbacks, which he turned into an art form, while Mbappe’s pace and power has allowed him to break goal records at Paris Saint-Germain while also becoming captain of his country.
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Mbappe and Watt are not the kind of characters to back down from a challenge, and that occasionally means putting their body on the line. Mbappe did just that when taking a nasty blow to the face during France’s Euro 2024 opener against Austria.
DID YOU KNOW?
The 25-year-old, who is linking up with Real Madrid this summer, was left with blood pouring out of his nose as he had to be replaced and will now need to be fitted with a protective mask before taking to the field again. Watt has been in that position himself, with his nose left seriously misshapen at times.
WHAT NEXT?
France are now sweating on Mbappe’s involvement in their upcoming fixtures. They are due to be back in action against the Netherlands on Friday, but there have been suggestions that their skipper may not be cleared to return until the quarter-final stage of Euro 2024 is reached.