Kylian Mbappe thanked all the French fans for supporting him and France’s endeavours in the recently concluded FIFA World Cup 2026 via an open letter posted on his social media handle.
He expressed that he was elated to receive such an honour and to score goals whereas the journey could have been more fruitful if the team ended with a trophy.
Although, France were the favourites of the tournament with a solid team, yet they could only secure a fourth place after facing defeat in hands of Champion Spain and later England. However, Mbappe delivered a historic, and outstanding performance at the FIFA World Cup in 2026, winning the Golden Boot with 10 goals and becoming the tournament’s all-time leading goalscorer. He surpassed Lionel Messi’s 21 goals to reach 22 overall World Cup goals following a brace against England in the third-place playoff.
‘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. 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.
Kylian Mbappe’s quest for being football’s greatest is a story that no one will forget. At such a young age, he is already a World Cup legend with 22 goals, highest in the tournament and with two consecutive Golden Balls.
Kylian Mbappe extends thanks to teammates and coach Deschamps for his achievements
Mbappe credited his tournament-leading 10 goals and Golden Boot award directly to his teammates’ hard work, runs, and precise passes. ‘I accept the top scorer title with pride, but it would have been immeasurably better with the cup as well. My gratitude to my teammates. Without their efforts, their runs, their passes, without the team spirit that carried us from the first match to the last, I would never have scored so many goals. This title is as much theirs as it is mine,’ he said.
Also appreciating Didier Deschamps for his guidance and being an integral part of his achievements he emphasized on the fact that the individual award would have meant more along with the trophy.
‘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,’ Mbappe said
Zinedine Zidane is the new head coach of the France national football team, succeeding Didier Deschamps after a 14-year tenure.