Kylian Mbappe Pens Emotional Open Letter to French Fans After 2026 World Cup Disappointment

Paris.

After the 2026 World Cup, France captain Kylian Mbappe has written an emotional open letter to his countrymen.

Following France's disappointing World Cup campaign in America, the Real Madrid star expressed his gratitude to the fans and his fellow players.

France finished fourth after losing to England in the third-place play-off. A week after the disappointing end, Mbappe addressed the fans in an open letter published in newspapers on Monday. In the letter, published with a picture of him standing in front of a poster of his childhood idol Thierry Henry, he did not hide his pain after the team's failure.

'We couldn't bring the trophy home,' Mbappe wrote. 'It hurts me and will hurt for some time, I won't lie to you.'

A large part of the letter is dedicated to the French fans who followed the team despite the long time difference. Remembering the dedication of fans in France and around the world, he said, 'You stayed up late to watch us play on the other side of the world.'

He thanked all the fans who watched the game at home, in bars, or with family. 'Children, youth, and the elderly, all carrying flags in the stadium, were united in the same joy,' he added. 'You didn't abandon us even in difficult times.'

Mbappe ended the series as the tournament's top scorer with 10 goals. This individual achievement took a backseat after losing to eventual winners Spain in the semi-finals.

'I am proud to have won the top scorer award,' he wrote. 'But it would have been even better if the World Cup trophy had been with it.' He clarified that although they couldn't give a good ending, they gave 100% effort on the field and were proud of that.

Thanking his teammates, he said he couldn't have scored so many goals without the team's support. 'As a child, I dreamed of playing at least one World Cup,' he recalled. 'I played three World Cups, won one, and this year I had the opportunity to play as captain.'

Captain Mbappe also thanked head coach Didier Deschamps and the entire support staff. Zinedine Zidane is likely to take over the national team instead of Deschamps. Mbappe also expressed gratitude to the physios, cooks, coaches, and drivers who worked behind the scenes.

At the end of the letter, he reminded of the simple essence of football, writing, 'Football is fundamentally a game. Its simple rules like the ball, the goal, and the desire to score never change. That's why it unites us all in the same emotion.'