Mbappe slammed the entire team after elimination, stating that their performance was not worthy of a semifinal spot. As the captain, he takes full responsibility.

The heavily favored French team was defeated 0-2 by Spain in the first World Cup semifinal on July 15, Beijing time, ending their bid to reach the final for three straight tournaments. It was also the first time Mbappe, at 27, failed to appear in a World Cup final. In his post-match interview, Mbappe immediately voiced his frustration over the outcome.

Reflecting on the loss, Mbappe bluntly stated that France's performance did not merit a place in the semifinals: "We didn't play the way we wanted to. Whether it was tactical, technical, or the overall level of play, we didn't meet the requirements. When you fail to do what you need to do in a World Cup semifinal, you can't win."

"From a technical standpoint, our first passes and first touches were also not up to the standard required for a World Cup semifinal. As these issues accumulated, they ultimately led to this defeat."

Regarding the feeling of elimination, Mbappe admitted he was deeply disappointed: "Like everyone else, I'm very disappointed. Reaching the final was always our dream, and we wanted to give our country the chance to keep dreaming and make history. After a failure, we must face it with our heads held high."

Mbappe also took the blame for the exit: "As captain, I have to shoulder all the responsibility. I have no problem with that. We desperately wanted to reach the final, but we failed. So now we must confront reality and accept people's judgments with grace."

"We need to regroup. For now, let's go on vacation, then start fresh. Football waits for no one. There are other challenges ahead with both club and national team."

With France missing the World Cup final and his club Real Madrid having a trophy-less season, despite Mbappe's outstanding individual statistics this year, the lack of team honors means he has essentially dropped out of the race for this year's Ballon d'Or.