France captain Kylian Mbappe has shared an emotional message with supporters following Les Bleus’ disappointing end to their FIFA World Cup 2026 campaign, admitting that 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 defeat to Spain, before they were beaten 6-4 by England in the third-place playoff. Mbappe finished the tournament as the Golden Boot winner with 10 goals and became the highest goalscorer in FIFA World Cup history with 22 goals, overtaking Lionel Messi’s tally. However, the striker said team success 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 did not bring home a team trophy. It hurts, and it will continue to hurt for a while, I am not going to lie to you about that,” Mbappe wrote.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 France supporters
Mbappe also thanked supporters who stood behind the national team throughout the tournament, acknowledging the sacrifices many made to watch the matches across different time zones.“You stayed up late, sometimes until the dead of 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 beyond, Others were right there with us, in the stadiums, flags draped over their shoulders. Children with shining eyes, men and women of all backgrounds and generations, united by the same joy: the joy of sharing. That’s the power of this sport, ” he added. The forward praised fans for standing by the team through difficult moments.“You never gave up on us, even in the toughest 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 ended the tournament as its leading scorer, he admitted the individual honour could not compensate for missing out on the World Cup title.“I take the title of top scorer with pride, but it would have been so much better with the cup as well. Perhaps we owed you a better ending. But we do not always choose the ending of the story, we choose what we put into it, and we put everything into it. We are proud of that, “Mbappe wrote. He also credited his teammates for helping him achieve the milestone.“Thank you to my teammates. Without their work, their runs, their passes, without this team spirit that carried us from the first to the last match, I could never have scored so many goals. This title belongs as much to the team as it does to me, ” Mbappe thanked.
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 have already said what I had to say to Didier, he knows it. Thank you to him, and to all his staff too: physiotherapists, cooks, trainers, drivers, all those people 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, bringing an end to a highly successful era 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 core, remains a game. A game that we take very seriously, that we work on our whole lives to try to master, but a game nonetheless, with its simple rules that have not changed since we started playing it: ball, goal, desire to score. That is why it brings us all together with the same passion,” Mbappe concluded.
