Captain of France Kylian Mbappé shared an emotional message with supporters following Les Bleus’ disappointing end to their 2026 FIFA World Cup campaign, admitting the pain of missing out on the trophy will stay with him despite his historic individual achievements.France’s title bid ended with a 2-0 semi-final defeat to Spain, before they were beaten 6-4 by England in the third-place play-off. Mbappe finished the tournament as the Golden Boot winner with 10 goals and became the top scorer in FIFA World Cup history with 22 goals, surpassing Lionel Messi’s tally. However, the striker said that the success of the team was always the priority.
“It will continue to hurt”
In a heartfelt letter published in the French regional press, Mbappe admitted that the disappointment of not lifting the World Cup remains difficult to accept.“We didn’t bring home a team trophy. It hurts, and it continues to hurt for a while, I won’t lie to you about it,” wrote Mbappe.The 27-year-old reflected on another memorable World Cup journey, having previously lifted the trophy in 2018, finished runner-up in 2022, and captained France during the 2026 edition.
Special message for French supporters
Mbappe also thanked the supporters who stood behind the national team throughout the tournament, acknowledging the sacrifices many made to watch the games in different time zones.“You stayed up late, sometimes until the night, depending on the time zone, to watch us play on the other side of the world. You gathered at home, in bars, with family or friends, all over France and abroad, the others were there with us, in the stadiums, flags draped over their shoulders. Children with bright eyes, men and women of joy of all generations, sharing the joy of all backgrounds. That’s the power of this sport,” he added. The striker praised the fans for standing by the team in difficult moments.“You never gave up on us, even in the hardest moments, even when we least deserved it. This story was written by millions of hands, not just eleven on the field, all driven by the same passion.”
Golden Boot offers little consolation
Although Mbappe finished the tournament as their top scorer, he admitted that the individual honor could not make up for the lack of the World Cup title.“I take the title of top scorer with pride, but it would have been much better with the cup as well. Maybe we owe you a better ending. But we don’t always choose the end of the story, we choose what we put in it, and we put everything in it. We are proud of it,” wrote Mbappe. He also credited his teammates for helping him get through.“Thanks to my teammates. Without their work, their runs, their passes, without this team spirit that took us from the first to the last match, I would never have been able to score so many goals. This title belongs to the team as much as to me,” thanked Mbappe.
Tribute to Didier Deschamps
Mbappe also paid tribute to outgoing France manager Didier Deschamps, who had already announced that the 2026 World Cup would be his final tournament in charge.“I already said what I had to say to Didier, he knows it. Thanks to him, and also to all his staff: physiotherapists, cooks, trainers, drivers, all those whom no one ever sees and without whom none of this would be possible.”Deschamps is expected to hand over the reins to French football legend Zinedine Zidane, ending an era of great success for the national team.
“Football remains a game”
Mbappe concluded his message by reflecting on the universal appeal of football and the passion it creates.“Football, at its heart, remains a game. A game that we take very seriously, that we work all our lives to try to master, but a game nonetheless, with its simple rules that have not changed since we started playing: ball, goal, desire to score. That is why it brings us all together with the same passion”, concludes Mbappe.
