Kylian Mbappe on Monday thanked the French fans for supporting the men’s national team at the recently-concluded FIFA World Cup 2026 where it went in as a favourite but managed only a fourth-place finish.
“THANK YOU. One month of emotion. Of going beyond limits. Of pride in wearing the colours of France. Of passion, above all, the same one that drives us on the field and that drives you, in front of the screen as in the stands.
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“That’s what we lived together, an incredible story. We didn’t bring back a team trophy. It hurts and will keep hurting for a while, I’m not going to lie to you about that,” Mbappe wrote in a letter posted on social media.
The 27-year-old ended as the highest-scorer of the tournament with 10 goals and four assists, making him the first player to win the Golden Boot twice.
He accepted the award with pride but said it would have meant more with the cup. He dedicated the top-scorer honour to his teammates, crediting their work, runs and passes as the foundation for his goals.
“The title of top scorer, I accept with pride, but it would have been so much better with the cup on top. We may have owed you a more beautiful ending. But we don’t always choose the end of the story, we choose what we put into it, and we put everything in. That; we are proud of.
“Thank you to my teammates. Without their work, their runs, their passes, without that team spirit that carried us from the first to the last match, I never could have scored so much. This title belongs to the team as much as it does to me,” he added.
Mbappe also left a parting note for Didier Deschamps, the France head coach who announced he will leave the role after the World Cup. He had been at the helm since 2014 and led the team to the crown in 2018 and a runner-up finish in 2022.
“To Didier (Deschamps), I’ve already said what I had to say, he knows. Thank you to him, to his entire staff too, physios, cooks, trainers, drivers, all those whom no one ever sees and without whom none of this would be possible”.
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Published on Jul 27, 2026