French captain: Kylian Mbappe shared an emotional message to supporters following Les Bleus’ disappointing end to their FIFA World Cup 2026 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 semifinal loss to Spain, before they were beaten 6-4 by England in the third-place playoff. Mbappe ended the tournament as the Golden Boot winner with 10 goals and became the top goalscorer in FIFA World Cup history with 22 goals, surpassing Lionel Messi’s tally. However, the striker said that the success of the team is always a priority.
“It will continue to hurt”
In a heartfelt letter published by 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 will continue to hurt for a while, I won’t lie to you about that,” Mbappe wrote.The 27-year-old reflects on another memorable World Cup journey, having previously lifted the trophy in 2018, finished runner-up in 2022, and captained France in the 2026 edition.
Special message for: Supporters in France:
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 stay up late, sometimes until late at night depending on the time zone, to watch us play on the other side of the world. You gather at home, in bars, with family or friends, all over France and beyond, Some are there with us, in stadiums, flags wrapped around their shoulders. Children with bright eyes, men and women of all backgrounds and generations, adding joy to the same power. The forward praised the fans for standing by the team in difficult moments.“You never gave up on us, even in the most difficult moments, even when we didn’t deserve it. This story was written by millions of hands, not just eleven on the field, all driven by the same love.”
The Golden Boot offers little consolation
Although Mbappe ended the tournament as the top scorer, he admitted that individual honors cannot make up for missing out on the World Cup title.“I took the title of top scorer with pride, but it was also better in the cup. 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 that,” wrote Mbappe. He also credited his teammates for helping him reach the milestone.“Thank you to my teammates. Without their work, their pace, their passes, without this team spirit that took us from the first to the last match, I would never have scored so many goals. This title belongs to the team as much as it belongs to me,” Mbappe thanked.
Honoring: Didier Deschamps
Mbappe was also honored by outgoing France manager Didier Deschamps, who has already announced that the 2026 World Cup will be his last tournament in charge.“I have said what I have to say to Didier, he knows it. Thanks to him, and to all his staff too: physiotherapists, cooks, trainers, drivers, all the people who see nothing and without them nothing can do.Deschamps is expected to hand over the reins to French football legend Zinedine Zidane, who has ended a successful season for the national team.
“Football remains a game”
Mbappe ended his message by reflecting on the universal appeal of football and the love it creates.“Football, at its core, 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 it: the ball, the goal, the desire to score. That is why it brings us all the same passion,” concluded Mbappe.