After suffering a broken nose in the Euro 2024 opener against Austria, France superstar and Ballon d’Or candidate Kylian Mbappe will be fitted for a mask so he can return to the pitch before his nose is fully healed.
It has brought to the forefront Mbappe’s comparison with popular Nickelodeon animated series and comic Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles.
The 25-year-old sensation has long been compared to one of the main characters, going back to the early days of his playing career. It started as a friendly jab between teammates and became an amusing part of his public persona.
The Sporting News details how he got his nickname, how the comparison to one of the pizza-loving reptiles blew up, and how came to the forefront after his injury at the major summer tournament with Les Bleus.
MORE: Latest news and updates on Kylian Mbappe's broken nose, including when he will return for France
Kylian Mbappe asks for mask suggestions after broken nose
After immediate on-field treatment that failed to stem the flow of blood, Mbappe was withdrawn from France’s opening match against Austria and taken to hospital for further evaluation.
Real Madrid’s latest Galactico took to X (formerly Twitter) to ease the tension around his health by cracking a joke.
“Any ideas for masks?” he posted in French around 1:26 a.m. local time in Germany.
Des idées de masques ?? ?
— Kylian Mbappé (@KMbappe) June 17, 2024
Mbappe will need a protective covering for his face when he returns to the pitch for France at Euro 2024. The internet had ideas, and many of them stemmed from a favorite hobby of his, as Mbappe already has one in the image of a cartoon turtle on his hand.
However, when he trained with France the day before their match against the Netherlands, Mbappe chose to wear a French ‘tricolore’ mask instead. Despite the injury, Didier Deschamps named the forward on the bench for Friday’s game in Leipzig.
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Detailing Kylian Mbappe’s connection to Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles
Social media was alight with ideas over Mbappe’s impending need for a protective mask, with most of them equal parts silly and unrealistic.
Many of them involved Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, or TMNT for short, the Nickelodeon cartoon involving four crime-fighting mutants in half shells named after Renaissance-era Italian artists.
Mbappe’s public connection to TMNT goes back seven years to when he first joined PSG from AS Monaco on loan in 2017. Since then, teammates for club and country have continually poked fun at his likeness to one of the titular cartoon characters.
Neymar did so on the PSG team bus in a 2017 video by jokingly telling him “Donatello, have some pizza!” but was turned down as Mbappe said he’d already had some. Dani Alves, who could be seen cackling at Neymar’s joke in that video, would go on to post a photo of a plush Donatello (the cartoon turtle, not the painter) on his Instagram in 2018 with the caption “Donatello is fast, eh?”
The most famous incident occurred in 2018 as well when his teammate Thiago Silva wrapped a Ninja Turtle mask in a fancy Dior box, which caused the PSG dressing to burst into laughter upon Mbappe’s unwrapping. He was later filmed wearing the mask and doing his famed arms-crossed pose.
Why is Kylian Mbappe nicknamed “Donatello”?
Some of Mbappe’s club teammates at PSG believed the France star had a slight resemblance to Donatello, one of the ninja turtles, and the nickname has stuck. It was apparently first recognized by defender Presnel Kimpembe.
Wearing a purple mask and sporting a staff known as a “bo,” Donatello is considered the smartest (some might say nerdiest) and most laid back of the four main TMNT characters. The comparison probably has more to do with their personalities rather than any perceived physical likeness, although it’s surely fun for his friends to joke about the latter.
In the cartoon or comics, Donatello is often depicted speaking in scientific or technological jargon, frequently relying on gadgets instead of combat skills.
As Mbappe blossoms into a global football icon and world-class player, what began as a joke has grown into a part of the French star’s image. This past week, it became a bit on the nose.