{"id":781273,"date":"2026-07-05T06:27:15","date_gmt":"2026-07-05T06:27:15","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/781273\/"},"modified":"2026-07-05T06:27:15","modified_gmt":"2026-07-05T06:27:15","slug":"how-to-make-a-mask-for-a-star-world-cup-soccer-player","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/781273\/","title":{"rendered":"How to make a mask for a star World Cup soccer player"},"content":{"rendered":"

Get free access to the most comprehensive World Cup coverage in The Athletic app<\/a>.<\/p>\n

In a Dick\u2019s Sporting Goods store in southern California, one employee of Oakley was sent to buy a dozen footballs.<\/p>\n

Back at the eyewear brand\u2019s headquarters in Foothill Ranch, the design team was racing against the clock to help a global football star remain in the 2024 European Championships in Germany.<\/p>\n

Sketches were drawn, 3D masks printed and footballs blasted at a prototype sitting on a lifesize headform modelled on Kylian Mbappe\u2019s face.<\/p>\n

Mbappe, who became France\u2019s all-time top scorer at the 2026 World Cup<\/a>, had broken his nose in his country\u2019s opening game two years ago. He heard the click when team doctor Franck Le Gall put his nose back into place in the dressing room. After a visit to Dusseldorf hospital in the <\/a>early hours of the morning<\/a>, medics told Mbappe, 25 at the time, he would not need surgery at this stage but the bone would take six weeks to heal. The striker did not have time to wait. A mask, however, could be fitted to enable his return to play.<\/a><\/p>\n

\"Kylian<\/p>\n

\n Kylian Mbappe wearing a protective mask during the 2024 European Championships (Franck Fife\/Getty Images)<\/p>\n

A mask is not a cure nor does it eliminate the risk of further injury or complications, but it is a compromise between recovery and competition.<\/p>\n

The mask-making process, however, is more complex than meets the eye as doctors, surgeons and designers explain to The Athletic.<\/p>\n

The most frequent facial fractures are nasal, cheek and jaw. At this World Cup, several players such as England\u2019s Djed Spence, Algeria\u2019s Luca Zidane, Uruguay\u2019s Sebastian Caceres and Austria\u2019s Stefan Posch have been sporting protective facial gear, having sustained such injuries before or during the tournament.<\/p>\n

Rest for the traumatised area is fundamental but a mask acts as a shield, allowing athletes to return to play before the bone has fully healed. In the event of subsequent impact, the mask absorbs the force and diverts it away from the healing zone to stronger areas of the skull.<\/p>\n

The mask can act as a psychological barrier too, helping the athlete overcome fears of further trauma. Some players feel more confident wearing it while others are more cautious for fear of another blow.<\/p>\n

The severity of the injury should not be underestimated. If a player is wearing a mask, it is for good reason. \u201cMasks are not a joke,\u201d says Bundesliga doctor Andreas Elsner. \u201cIt is not something they do from a stylish perspective. It\u2019s about safety.\u201d<\/p>\n

Some players wear masks for weeks or months. If they have an osteosynthetic operation, a technique used to stabilise fractured bones using metal plates and screws, a player may have no choice but to wear the mask every time they play.<\/p>\n

A whole team is involved in the process. Maxillofacial surgeons determine if the player can return to play and which areas need protection before external specialist orthopedic technicians make the custom device.<\/p>\n

An optical scanner captures a precise 3D facial scan of the player, according to Manuel Chamorro, head of maxillofacial surgery at the Quiron Ruber Juan Bravo hospital in Madrid.<\/p>\n

A mask is designed based on the digital scan and takes into account any swelling or bruising, plus the need to distribute the force of potential impact while allowing for clear vision, breathing and communication. The mask is secured with elastic straps and, sometimes, interchangeable padding before being tested on the player. Small details are adjusted until a perfect fit is achieved.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Back in Paderborn, France\u2019s Euro 2024 basecamp in Germany and a 40-minute drive from the city of Bielefeld, after Mbappe was injured, France initially contacted Arminia Bielefeld striker Fabian Klos, who broke his skull and eye socket in April 2022, to ask where he had his mask made.<\/p>\n

At first Mbappe, who left Paris Saint-Germain for Real Madrid<\/a> in the summer of 2024, was pictured in training three days after his blow wearing a mask with the French national colours<\/a> of red, white and blue \u2014 the Tricolore \u2014 and his initials and the French Football Federation (FFF).<\/p>\n

Oakley, however, did not make that mask.<\/p>\n

\u201cYou can tell when you look at that one it doesn\u2019t fit his face very well,\u201d Nicolas Garfias, Oakley\u2019s vice president of design tells The Athletic.<\/p>\n

The designers drew some quick sketches. The priority was Mbappe\u2019s safety and comfort. But Garfias also thought: \u201cHow are we going to make this thing cooler than what\u2019s out there?\u201d<\/p>\n

\"Uruguay's<\/p>\n

\n Uruguay\u2019s Sebastian Caceres wearing a mask against Cape Verde in Miami (Michael Regan\/Getty Images)<\/p>\n

Crucially, Oakley already had a 3D digital scan of Mbappe\u2019s head and face from when he visited their headquarters in California upon becoming the company\u2019s ambassador in 2022. They try to scan all their talent.<\/p>\n

\u201cYou never know what the ask is going to be,\u201d says Garfias. A similar scenario arose with Tom Cruise, who, since breaking his nose, has difficulty fitting eyewear. During the filming of Mission Impossible, the actor called upon Oakley to make his custom eyewear.<\/p>\n

Designers turned Mbappe\u2019s 3D digital scan into a real-life model, similar to a Madame Tussaud\u2019s waxwork, of Mbappe\u2019s head. But to make the mask. they had to account for the distance needed for padding between his skin and the inside of the mask.<\/p>\n

Oakley used a 3D printer to construct the mask, which was made of a resin-based plastic material. They created ventilation holes where heat builds up around the eyes and nose, but kept them small so as not to weaken the mask\u2019s structure.<\/p>\n

Oakley dyed it black, concerned that paint could rub off because of sweat accumulation and cause irritation and rubbing, with no other features. UEFA regulations also state: \u201cAny medical equipment worn on the field of play must be a single colour and free of team and manufacturer identification.\u201d FIFA has similar rules.<\/p>\n

A retention system attached to a little bead on either side allowed Mbappe to adjust the pressure using a dial at the back. They then tested the prototypes by firing balls as hard as they could to simulate what Mbappe may experience.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe didn\u2019t want to give him something we were uncertain of,\u201d says Garfias.<\/p>\n

The entire process took around 48 hours. Oakley shipped several copies of the same mask to Germany the next day, along with laser-cut foam inserts of varying shapes and thicknesses so the France medical team could tailor the fit.<\/p>\n

It is unusual that a brand like Oakely, that does not manufacture medical equipment, let alone masks, would make Mbappe\u2019s device.<\/p>\n

Their only other historically relevant example was in the mid 1990s when some NBA players such as James Worthy, who had an eye injury, wore clear goggles. When Oakley heard some of the athletes had problems with their eyewear, they made a functional piece called the Oakley Slash with a top lens, air ventilation and a leash to hold them in place.<\/p>\n

Whatever mask Mbappe chose to wear, however, must have been approved by France\u2019s medical team and UEFA.<\/p>\n

Knowing what they know now and had they had more time, Garfias says he would have made the mask using a different material. Indeed, whereas Oakley made that mask using a resin-based plastic material, many masks, according to Chamorro and Elsner, are usually made of carbon fibre, a very lightweight and extremely resistant material. Sometimes they are finished with rubber to prevent chafing and discomfort.<\/p>\n

\"The<\/p>\n

\n The LA Lakers\u2019 James Worthy wearing Oakley goggles in 1990 (Ken Levine\/Getty Images)<\/p>\n

\u201cBut different materials means more uncertainty and takes more time,\u201d says Garfias. \u201cWe acted with what we had in the time we had.<\/p>\n

\u201cI don\u2019t want to say we got lucky because we were triple sure that it wasn\u2019t going to break but we were also taking a little bit of a risk too. That\u2019s part of it.\u201d<\/p>\n

Interestingly, Oakley is planning to introduce products which focus on eye and face protection. Although eyewear is not permitted in football \u2014 Italian Annibale Frossi in the 1930s and Netherlands international Edgar Davids being notable exceptions \u2014 Oakley wants to change the status quo and overcome the historical perception of the safety of eyewear on the field. They are doing so in flag football, one of the fastest-growing sports in North America, which will feature in the 2028 Summer Olympics.<\/p>\n

The irony is, despite Oakley saying they did not receive any negative feedback, Mbappe hated playing with any kind of mask.<\/a><\/p>\n

He played with one for four games until Spain knocked out France in the Euro semi-finals. With the benefit of hindsight, however, the Frenchman would have done things differently.<\/p>\n

\u201cIf I could go back, I wouldn\u2019t play,\u201d the 27-year-old admitted in an interview with Le Parisien<\/a> ahead of the 2026 World Cup. \u201cI\u2019d leave.\u201d<\/p>\n

Mbappe struggled with limited vision and sweat clogging around his eyes. \u201cAs soon as I can take it off, I will,\u201d he said two years ago in a press conference ahead of the round of 16 against Belgium.<\/p>\n

\u201cRight now, I\u2019ve got no choice. I can\u2019t play without it\u2026 I have to say \u2018thank you\u2019 to the masks.\u201d<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Get free access to the most comprehensive World Cup coverage in The Athletic app. In a Dick\u2019s Sporting…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":781274,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[440],"tags":[99824,4995,49,48,588,103818,574,561,82,87021],"class_list":["post-781273","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-soccer","tag-algeria","tag-austria","tag-ca","tag-canada","tag-england","tag-fifa-mens-world-cup","tag-premier-league","tag-soccer","tag-sports","tag-uruguay"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/781273","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=781273"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/781273\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/781274"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=781273"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=781273"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=781273"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}