French national team: Kylian Mbappé's heartfelt letter to the French people

Kylian Mbappé spoke out in recent hours, a week after the 2026 World Cup.

The captain of the French national team wanted to thank the supporters for their unwavering support throughout Les Bleus' journey at this 2026 World Cup in the United States.

"Thank you. A month full of emotion. Of pushing ourselves beyond our limits. Of pride in wearing the colors of France. Above all, of passion—the same passion that drives us on the pitch and that drives you, whether you're in front of the screen or in the stands. That's what we've experienced together: an incredible story. We didn't bring home a team trophy. It hurts, and it will keep hurting for a while—I'm not going to lie about that. The top scorer title, I accept it with pride, but it would have meant so much more with the cup as well. Maybe we owed you a better ending. But we don't always get to choose the ending; we only choose what we put into the story, and we gave it everything. That's what makes us proud," he wrote.

He continued: "Thank you to my teammates. Without their work, their runs, their passes, without that team spirit that carried us from the first match to the last, I never could have scored so many goals. This title belongs to the team as much as it does to me. As a kid, I dreamed of playing in a World Cup—at least once. I've played in three, won one, and this year I had the pride of competing as captain. I'll never forget that. You stayed up late, sometimes into the heart of the night depending on the time zone, to watch us play on the other side of the world. You gathered at home, in bars, with family or friends, all across France and beyond."

"Others were right there with us in the stadiums, flags draped over their shoulders. Children with shining eyes, men and women of all backgrounds and generations, united by the same joy, the joy of sharing. That's the power of this sport. And you never let us down, even in our hardest moments—even when perhaps we didn't deserve your support. We wrote this story with millions of hands, not just eleven on the pitch, all driven by the same passion. I've already said what I needed to say to Didier—he knows. Thanks to him, and to all his staff too: physios, cooks, trainers, drivers, everyone behind the scenes without whom none of this would be possible. And to those who welcomed us in the United States throughout this tournament. Football, at its core, is still just a game. A game we take very seriously, one we work our whole lives to master, but a game all the same, with simple rules that haven't changed since we first started playing: a ball, a goal, and the desire to score. That's why it brings us all together with the same passion. This World Cup is over, but the story continues. There will be more matches, more summer and winter nights when we all gather again for this same game, with the same undiminished desire. We're not done playing together. Thank you for everything," concluded the Real Madrid player.

Joshua SOSSOU

Editorfr, en, ar

As a sports fan, and particularly a football fan, I've been putting my writing talent to good use for a number of years now to promote African talent and the continent's football in general. On Foot Africa, enjoy reading each of my lines.

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