Mbappé Addresses French Fans: "You Never Abandoned Us, We Owed You a Better Ending"

A week after the conclusion of the 2026 World Cup and on the eve of Zinedine Zidane's official announcement as the new head coach of France, "Les Bleus" captain Kylian Mbappé published an open letter to French fans in the press on Monday, thanking them for their unwavering support throughout the tournament.

Instead of a television interview or an Instagram post, Mbappé chose to address the fans through a letter published in numerous regional newspapers and the prominent sports daily, L'Équipe. This approach was likely intended to reach the widest possible audience of "Bleus" supporters who followed the team's triumphs and subsequent disappointment at the World Cup in the USA during what he described as "a month of emotions, self-transcendence, and pride in wearing the colors of France."

"Above all, it was about passion – the same passion that drives us on the field and that drives you, in front of your screens and in the stands. This is what we experienced together, an incredible story," wrote the Real Madrid superstar in the letter, accompanied by three photos, one of which showed him as a child in front of a Thierry Henry poster. "We didn't bring home a collective trophy. It hurts, and it will hurt for a while longer, I won't lie to you about that."

Divided into several sections, the letter touched upon themes important to Mbappé, who was born in the Parisian suburb of Bondy. First, he addressed his individual performance, including his 10 goals in the tournament. "I proudly accept the title of top scorer, but it would have been much better if it had been accompanied by the cup. Perhaps we 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 into it. That's what we're proud of," he asserted.

He then turned his attention to his teammates. "Thank you to my teammates. Without their hard work, their sprints, their passes, without that team spirit that guided us from the first to the last match, I would never have been able to score so many goals. This title belongs as much to the collective as it does to me. As a child, I dreamed of playing in a World Cup, at least one. I've played in three, won one, and this year I had the honor of participating as captain. I will never forget it."

Mbappé also made sure to acknowledge the French public, who vibrated with the national team. "You stayed up late, sometimes until midnight, depending on the time zones, to watch us play on the other side of the world. You gathered at home, in bars, with family or friends, everywhere in France and beyond," he emphasized.

"Others were closest to us, in the stadiums, with flags draped over their shoulders. Children with shining eyes, men and women from all backgrounds and all generations, united around the same pleasure – that of sharing. This is the power of this sport. And you never abandoned us, even in the most difficult moments, even when we didn't deserve it. This story was written with millions of hands, not just the eleven on the field, driven by the same passion."

Kylian Mbappé couldn't write such a letter without once again paying tribute to Didier Deschamps, for whom this was his final tournament with "Les Bleus" after 14 years at the helm of the team. "I've already told Didier what I had to say; he knows it. Thanks to him, and to his entire staff as well – physiotherapists, chefs, fitness coaches, drivers, all those unseen individuals without whom none of this would have been possible. And to those who welcomed us in the United States throughout the tournament," he stated, ahead of Zinedine Zidane's official announcement as the new coach.

He reminded readers: "Ultimately, football remains a game. A game we take very seriously, one we work our entire lives to try and master, but still a game, with its simple rules that haven't changed since we started playing it: a ball, a goal, a desire to score. That's why it unites us all with the same passion."

As for the future, which will be written alongside "Zizou," Kylian Mbappé envisions it as brilliant. "This World Cup ends, but the story continues. There will be other matches, other summer or winter evenings, where we will all gather around the same game, with the same unwavering desire. We are not done playing together. Thank you for everything," he concluded.