Kylian Mbappe looks miserable as France’s heartbroken stars return home to Paris’ Charles de Gaulle Airport after coming excruciatingly close to becoming the first country in 60 years to retain the World Cup trophy
Didier Deschamps and his side have returned to a hero’s reception in Paris after agonizingly missing out on the World Cup.
Twice falling behind – first with two clean sheets and then with just minutes left in extra time – France went to penalties before finally being snuffed out by some brilliance from Emiliano Martinez and a poor execution.
Despite the loss, thousands flocked to the capital’s Place de la Concorde to give the players a welcome worthy of victory, while the team received countless congratulations.
Kylian Mbappe looked particularly dejected as he and his team-mates returned home from France
The French players disembarked from the plane for a hero’s reception at Charles de Gaulle airport
Deschamps and his players were photographed disembarking the plane and onto the tarmac before heading to the event on Monday night. Their families were also photographed getting off the plane.
The France boss, who was bidding to become the first manager in World Cup history to win back-to-back trophies, was photographed returning home with a grin.
However, some of his players, including Kylian Mbappe, looked less than impressed when they returned to a significantly colder France than Qatar.
The Paris Saint-Germain striker scored a hat-trick – and his penalty in a shoot-out – although it wasn’t enough to save his side
Mbappe, who became the first player since Geoff Hurst to score a hat-trick in the World Cup final in 1966 and has vowed that France “will return”, had a look of fear on his face as he looked deep into his own thoughts. His efforts, miraculous as they might have been, weren’t enough to pull his side over the line.
Olivier Giroud, who was unceremoniously dragged off with Ousmane Dembele before half-time after Deschamps appeared to concede defeat in his first-team selection, wore a Hawaiian-style necklace as he headed towards the waiting team coach.
The AC Milan striker grinned as he shook hands with an airport worker on the tarmac.
Olivier Giroud looked a little happier than his forward partner Mbappe as he greeted an airport worker
The AC Milan forward even wore a Hawaiian necklace as he took the runway
Mbappe grimaced slightly as Ousmane Dembele and Hugo Lloris boarded the team bus
The family members of the French players also got off the plane in front of the waiting French press
Mbappe was on the team bus as the players drove to a reception at Place de la Concorde in Paris
Hugo Lloris, unable to save a single Argentine penalty in the shoot-out, led the side to their waiting van to line up alongside Deschamps.
Airport staff lined the runway as players descended the plane’s steps. Although many members of the squad were involved in their triumph in Russia four years ago, a significant number of sad faces showed as the reality of their defeat became apparent.
Their homecoming coincides with criticism of France’s President Emmanuel Macron for being rather adamant about comforting the players after Sunday night’s final.
The French press particularly criticized the centrist politician for trying to comfort Mbappe while he was sprawled on the lawn of Lusail Stadium.
As reported by The Times, a political pundit named Matthieu Croissandeau accused the president of “overdoing it” and being “overbearing” in his attempts to get involved.
“You could say that Emmanuel Macron listened to his heart and that he is a real football fan, which is true. But it’s difficult not to see some form of excess, what the Greeks called hubris, or a kind of omnipotence. In the Middle Ages they called it the royal touch,” he said.
Macron gave a speech to the players in the dressing room after the loss, which BFM presenter Adeline François described as awkward as the players simply wanted “he to go away”.