Mbappé publishes open letter to French public after 2026 World Cup

A week after the conclusion of the 2026 World Cup, and on the eve of the official announcement of Zinédine Zidane's appointment as head coach of Les Bleus, Kylian Mbappé published a letter in the French press this Monday to thank the nation for their support throughout the tournament.

"Thank You for Everything"

One week after the end of the 2026 World Cup, Kylian Mbappé chose to address the French people in an unconventional manner — not through a television interview or Instagram post, but via a letter published in numerous regional newspapers and L'Équipe. The aim was to reach the broadest possible audience of Les Bleus supporters who followed the team's triumphs and eventual disappointment at the American World Cup during "a month of emotion, of pushing limits, of pride in wearing the colors of France."

"Of passion, above all, the same that drives us on the field and drives you, in front of the screen as in the stands. That's what we experienced together, an incredible story," wrote the Real Madrid superstar in the letter, accompanied by three photos — including one of him as a child in front of a poster of Thierry Henry. "We're not bringing back a collective trophy. It hurts and will hurt for a while, I won't lie to you about that."

Top Scorer, Teammates, Supporters

Divided into several sections, the letter addresses topics close to the Bondy native's heart. On the individual front, he reflected on his 10 goals in the competition:

"The title of top scorer, I take it with pride, but it would have been so much better with the cup as well. We maybe owed you a more beautiful ending. But you don't always choose the end of the story, you choose what you put into it, and we put everything into it. Of that, we are proud."

He then turned to his teammates:

"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 could never have scored so many. 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 pride of playing it with the captain's armband. I will never forget it."

Mbappé also acknowledged the French public who supported the team throughout:

"You stayed up late, sometimes until the middle of the night depending on 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 elsewhere. Others were close to us, in the stadiums, flag on their shoulders. Children with shining eyes, men and women of all origins and all generations, united around the same pleasure, that of sharing. That's the strength of this sport. And you never let us down, even in the hardest moments, even when we deserved it less. This story, we wrote it with millions of hands, not just eleven on the field, carried by the same fervor."

Final Tribute to Deschamps and a Look to the Future

Mbappé could not write such a letter without paying tribute once again to Didier Deschamps, who was coaching his final competition with Les Bleus after 14 years at the helm.

"To Didier, I've already said what I had to say, he knows it. Thank you to him, to all his staff as well, physios, cooks, trainers, drivers, all those whom no one ever sees and without whom none of this would be possible. And to those who welcomed us in the United States throughout this competition."

He concluded with a reminder:

"Football, at its core, remains a game. A game we take very seriously, we work on our whole lives to try to..."