French forward Kylian Mbappé, captain of the French national team and Real Madrid star, published an open letter in which he thanked the French fans for their support after the elimination of Les Bleus in the World Cup, a tournament that ended with deep disappointment for the European team.
France came to the World Cup with the hope of winning the title again, but was eliminated in the semifinals against Spain, a team that later became world champion by defeating Argentina in the final. Afterwards, the French team lost 6-4 to England in the third place match and closed a campaign far from expectations.
Despite the blow, Mbappé highlighted the effort made by the team during the competition. “We didn’t win a collective trophy. It hurts, and it will hurt for a while, I’m not going to lie to you about that. I receive the title of top scorer with pride, but it would have been much better with the cup as well”said the attacker.
The 27-year-old footballer acknowledged that the team may have been indebted to its fans, although he assured that no one can question the team’s dedication. “Perhaps we owed you a more beautiful ending. But you don’t always choose the end of the story, you choose what is put in it, and we have given it our all. We are proud of that,” he stated.
Mbappé also took the opportunity to thank his teammates and stressed that without them he would not have reached his scoring records during the tournament. In addition, he dedicated a few words to the coaching staff and the outgoing coach, Didier Deschamps, one of the most important coaches in the recent history of French football. “I’ve already told him what I had to tell him, he knows it”commented about the technician.
One of the most emotional passages in the letter was dedicated to the French fans, whom he thanked for staying by the team even in the most difficult moments. “You never left us alone. Not even in the most difficult moments, not even when we least deserved it. We have written this story with several million hands, not just eleven on the field of play”he pointed out.
The attacker also reflected on the essence of football and the passion it generates. “Football, at its core, is still a game. A game that we take very seriously, in which we work a lifetime to try to master it, but a game nonetheless. That’s why it unites us all with the same passion,” he stated.
Despite the setback, Mbappé made it clear that he does not plan to stay stuck in disappointment and sent a message of hope for the future of the French team. “The story continues. There will be other games, other summer or winter afternoons in which we will all meet again before this same game, with the same enthusiasm intact. We have not finished playing together yet,” he concluded.
The elimination against Spain represented a hard blow for a generation that aspired to once again conquer the World Cup. However, with Mbappé as the main reference in French football, France is already looking towards the next international challenges with the intention of competing again for the big titles.