Kylian Mbappe Writes Open Letter to French Fans After Finishing 4th at 2026 World Cup
- Mbappe wrote an open letter published in multiple newspapers following France's fourth-place finish at the 2026 World Cup
- The France captain acknowledged winning the Golden Boot at the tournament but admitted the result still hurt him and the squad
- Head coach Didier Deschamps has left his role after the tournament, with Zinedine Zidane expected to succeed him
France captain Kylian Mbappe has addressed the nation's football supporters through an open letter published in several French newspapers.
This comes after Les Bleus’ fourth-place finish at the 2026 FIFA World Cup, hosted across the United States, Mexico and Canada, losing to England in the third-place playoff match.
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The 2026 tournament marked Mbappe's third World Cup appearance and his first as captain. It was a step back for a French side that lifted the trophy in 2018 and reached the final in 2022, where they lost to Argentina.
Mbappe writes letter to France fans
In the letter, the Real Madrid forward was candid about the disappointment of leaving without the title.
“We didn't bring home a team trophy. That hurts, and it will keep hurting for a while — I won't lie to you about that," he wrote, as reported by GFFN.
He acknowledged that the team may have fallen short of what the supporters expected but insisted the players gave everything they had.
“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. Of that, we're proud,” Mbappe added.
The 25-year-old also touched on his individual honour at the tournament, where he claimed the Golden Boot for top scorer, though he made clear that personal accolades meant little without collective success.
Mbappe looks forward to a new chapter and also used the letter to pay tribute to departing head coach Didier Deschamps, who stepped down after the tournament. France 24 reported that Zinedine Zidane is expected to take over as the next manager of the national side.
The captain praised Deschamps for his contribution to French football and signalled his own commitment to the team beyond this chapter.
“This World Cup comes to an end, but the story continues. There will be other matches, other summer or winter nights when we'll all come together again in front of this same game, with the same desire intact. We haven't finished playing together. Thank you for everything,” he concluded.
FIFA sends message to Mbappe
Legit.ng previously reported that FIFA sent a message to Kylian Mbappe after the French international became the World Cup all-time top scorer.
Mbappe won his second consecutive World Cup Golden Boot with 10 goals, which took him to the top of the scorers’ chart with 22 goals, one ahead of Lionel Messi.
Source: Legit.ng
