Milan, 27 July (LaPresse) – On Monday, France captain Kylian Mbappé said that Les Bleus had enjoyed “an incredible journey” at the World Cup, but also acknowledged that not winning the team trophy “hurts and will continue to hurt for a while” . The World Cup’s all-time leading goalscorer (22 goals) addressed the nation in an open letter, published in several newspapers, including L’Équipe, via a paid advertisement. The Real Madrid striker even admitted: “I’m proud to have won the top scorer title, but it would have been much better with the trophy as well.” Despite everything, he described the French national team players as “proud”, saying they “gave their all”. Mbappé thanked his team-mates, the fans and the French national team staff, “all those people whom nobody ever sees and without whom none of this would be possible”. He also spared a thought for former manager Didier Deschamps, who stepped down after the tournament: “I’ve already told Didier what I needed to say; he knows.” The 27-year-old striker expressed his gratitude to the French public: “You never abandoned us, not even in the toughest moments, not even when we least deserved it. This story was written by millions of hands, not just the eleven on the pitch, all driven by the same passion.”
World Cup: Mbappé to fans: “Losing in the semi-finals still hurts”
Milan, 27 July (LaPresse) – On Monday, France captain Kylian Mbappé said that Les Bleus had enjoyed “an incredible journey” at the World Cup, but also acknowledged that not winning the team trophy “hurts and will continue to hurt for a while” . The World Cup’s all-time leading goalscorer (22 goals) addressed the nation in an open letter, published in several newspapers, including L’Équipe, via a paid advertisement. The Real Madrid striker even admitted: “I’m proud to have won the top scorer title, but it would have been much better with the trophy as well.” Despite everything, he described the French national team players as “proud”, saying they “gave their all”. Mbappé thanked his team-mates, the fans and the French national team staff, “all those people whom nobody ever sees and without whom none of this would be possible”. He also spared a thought for former manager Didier Deschamps, who stepped down after the tournament: “I’ve already told Didier what I needed to say; he knows.” The 27-year-old striker expressed his gratitude to the French public: “You never abandoned us, not even in the toughest moments, not even when we least deserved it. This story was written by millions of hands, not just the eleven on the pitch, all driven by the same passion.”
