Mbappé admits World Cup defeat 'hurts and will hurt for some time'

Kylian Mbappé has openly shared his profound disappointment following France's exit from the World Cup, admitting that the pain of not securing the trophy "hurts, and will hurt for some time." In an open letter to the media, the French captain acknowledged that while he is proud to have received the Golden Boot award for his scoring prowess, it would have been far more meaningful alongside a collective World Cup victory.

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It hurts, and will hurt for some time, I won't lie to you about that. The top scorer title I receive with pride, but it would have been much better with the cup as well.

"Perhaps we owed you a more beautiful ending," Mbappé wrote, reflecting on the team's performance. "But you don't always choose the end of the story, you choose what you put in it, and we gave it our all. We are proud of that."

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Perhaps we owed you a more beautiful ending. But you don't always choose the end of the story, you choose what you put in it, and we gave it our all. We are proud of that.

The Real Madrid forward extended his gratitude to his teammates, emphasizing that he could not have achieved his individual success without their support. He also specifically thanked the coaching staff, including outgoing manager Didier Deschamps, with whom he has shared his personal thoughts. Mbappé particularly acknowledged the French fans, who he said never abandoned the team, even during difficult moments.

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I thanked my teammates, without whom I could never have scored so much, and all the technical team, with special mention to the outgoing selector, Didier Deschamps, to whom I assured that I have already told him 'what I had to tell him, he knows it'.

Reflecting on the nature of football, Mbappé described it as a game that unites people through shared passion. He concluded his message with a promise of future endeavors, stating that the "story continues" and that the team will regroup with the same enthusiasm for upcoming matches, assuring fans that their journey together is far from over.

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I thank the French fans who never left us alone. Not even in the most difficult moments, not when we deserved it least. We wrote this story with several million hands, not just eleven on the field, driven by the same fervor.