Very little has gone wrong in the career of Kylian Mbappe since he first burst onto the scene as a prodigious teenager.
At 25, he has already won seven Ligue 1 titles and been paid a fortune by PSG before securing his dream move to Real Madrid this summer.
On the international stage, he has lifted the World Cup and won the Nations League with France, and is now the captain of his country.
But when it comes to the Euros, nothing seems to go right for the superstar striker.
On Monday night, in France’s opening Euro 2024 game against Austria, Mbappe suffered a gruesome broken nose following a collision with defender Kevin Danso, and there are now doubts over his participation for the rest of the tournament.
Kylian Mbappe suffered a gruesome broken nose in France’s opening Euro 2024 game
He also missed multiple chances and is now a doubt for the rest of the Euros due to his injury
This is just the latest setback for Mbappe in a tournament that has not served him well.
Back in 2021, Mbappe played in his first Euros as France looked to cement their status as the best team on the planet after winning the World Cup three years earlier.
Mbappe had flourished in Russia, scoring four goals – including one in the final against Croatia – and he was expected to be the main man once more for Didier Deschamps’ side.
But, despite playing in a star-studded front line that included Karim Benzema, Mbappe could not find his best form.
After edging past Germany 1-0 in their first match, France were held to successive draws by Hungary and Portugal, with Mbappe failing to find the net.
Les Bleus had flattered to deceive in their group matches, but were still huge favourites to beat Switzerland in the last 16.
Having fallen behind early on to a Haris Seferovic header, France came roaring back after the break, scoring three goals in 18 minutes to move into a 3-1 lead.
Once again, Mbappe didn’t get on the scoresheet, but he did provide an assist for Benzema and there were signs that the pair were beginning to click.
Mbappe missed the decisive penalty as France exited the last Euros at the round of 16 stage against Switzerland
Mbappe considered quitting the national team after a miserable tournament that ended with him being criticised and subjected to racist abuse
However, Switzerland refused to go down without a fight, and Seferovic scored again to set up a nervy finish. France couldn’t hold out, as Mario Gavranovic netted in the final minute of the game to force extra time.
There were no further goals in the extra 30 minutes, and penalties were required to separate the two sides.
After the first nine penalties were successfully converted, Mbappe stepped up. He needed to score or France were out.
He placed his spot-kick to the goalkeeper’s right, but Switzerland’s Yann Sommer guessed correctly to palm the ball away and send his team through to the quarter-finals.
Mbappe was subjected to a barrage of criticism and racist abuse in the aftermath of missing the decisive penalty, and considered quitting the national team.
He eventually opted to continue playing for his country and went on to star at another World Cup, scoring eight goals in seven games in Qatar.
His hat-trick in the final earned him the Golden Boot, but it was not enough for France to retain their title as they lost on penalties to Argentina.
Mbappe scored a hat-trick in the World Cup final against Argentina in 2022
France lost the final on penalties, but Mbappe took home the Golden Boot and proved he is one of the best players in the world
This time, Mbappe scored his penalty, as well as two from the spot during the game, and he could not be blamed for France falling just short.
Hugo Lloris retired from international football following the tournament and Mbappe was handed the captain’s armband.
He scored four goals in five Euro 2024 qualifiers as he led by example, and after another strong season at PSG, this was supposed to be another tournament where he took centre stage.
Monday night did not go to plan, though.
Mbappe gave a glimpse of his undoubted class, producing the run and cross that led to Max Wober heading into his own net for the only goal of the game seven minutes before the break.
But he missed France’s first big chance of the game earlier when his scuffed near-post effort was tipped wide, and he squandered an even bigger chance after the interval.
After winning his initial duel, Mbappe used his blistering pace to burst through on goal and he had all the time in the world to pick his spot, but somehow put his shot wide of the target.
It was a miss that shocked everyone – including Mbappe – and was a clear indication that it wasn’t going to be his night.
Sure enough, inside the final 10 minutes he went up for a header and his nose connected with Danso’s shoulder, leaving him in a heap on the floor clutching his face.
The extent of the injury was not immediately clear until Mbappe got to his feet with his nose bleeding profusely and not in its usual position.
Mbappe’s injury occurred after his nose connected with Kevin Danso’s shoulder
Mbappe received lengthy treatment on the pitch as his nose bled profusely
He was booked after coming back onto the pitch and immediately sitting down, adding insult to injury
He had clearly broken it, and then had insult added to injury as he was booked for coming back onto the pitch and immediately sitting down to stop the game when France had their efforts to make a substitute ignored by the referee.
The French Football Federation has since confirmed Mbappe will not require surgery, but will need treatment ‘for the next few days’, and it has been reported that he could miss ‘a chunk’ of the tournament.
If Mbappe is sidelined it would represent a major blow to France’s hopes and to the player himself.
In five appearances at the Euros, Mbappe is yet to score, has missed a crucial penalty and is now injured.
Even if he does return, the forward would likely need to wear a mask, and getting used to playing with one could take a period of adjustment.
He may feel he is cursed when it comes to the Euros, and now faces an anxious wait to see whether he can play again this summer to put things right.