Just minutes earlier, the 22-year-old had missed a penalty for Les Blaise's last-16 exit from Euro 2020, which seemed impossible when he entered the final 10 minutes of the game against Switzerland 3-1. had taken the lead. , only to let the two-goal advantage slip away.
Mbappé was the fifth Frenchman to take a spot-kick, but when goalkeeper Yann Sommer saved his shot, the world champion tournament was over. Now the rest of the staff and his teammates apologized in front of coach Didier Deschamps. There was sadness in his voice, he was upset. This was far from the arrogant image he could sometimes convey.
There were dozens of messages on his phone. He had an argument with his father, of course, who was in the stands and with Adrian Rabiot's mother, when he said that Mbappe Jr. was arrogant. There were others: a pair of French president Emmanuel Macron, who wanted to console the forward, and Arsene Wenger, from the likes of Paris Saint-Germain president Nasser al-Khelai and club teammate Neymar.
Mbappe also apologized on social media, saying through a message sent around 3 a.m. his family was allowed to go to the France team hotel and guests of other players also came, but the atmosphere was gloomy. All that talent and a waste of a tournament. Deschamps tried to stay positive, saying: "Honor yourself. Never forget what you've accomplished before," but that meant little to his hurt stars.
It was supposed to be Mbappe's tournament and he badly wanted it to happen. He has gone far beyond the promising wonderkid, who lit up the 2018 World Cup final with two goals, and wanted to show he could own the entire competition, but the stat line - no goals and an assist in four games , with France winning just once and exiting early - that's not good.
But while the figures do not lie, they do not represent the full picture. Mbappe was very good against Germany, giving Karim Benzema the biggest of the game against Hungary and had good moments against Portugal, including winning a penalty.
He was involved in France's first two goals against Switzerland, laying on the first and playing in Antoine Griezmann's second with an assist on a great back heel. However, much more was expected, and he should have done better. For example, he would think for a long time about the chance he had in extra time, when he unexpectedly shot with his left foot and the effort went wide.
So what? Was Mbappe too confident? Maybe, but that's his strength. Did he put too much pressure on himself? He loves the big moments and wants them in this tournament. He wanted to be a star. He wanted to be the decisive penalty taker.
Wasn't his attitude right? He was disappointed by Olivier Giroud's pre-tournament comments, when the veteran striker indicated that Mbappe was not passing him the ball, and spoke to the media at a press conference to express his feelings.
The departure through injury of his best friend in the squad, Ousmane Dembele, was another setback and sources told ESPN that Mbappe was a little different from the group, at times on his own. His in-game partnership with Karim Benzema was France's best asset, but perhaps their off-pitch relationship was too strong and alienated each other from the rest of the team.
Was he tired? He looked tired against Portugal and at the end of normal time against Switzerland, but he could not be alone; Deschamps is already looking into what went wrong and the heavy fitness work done before the start of the tournament is under investigation.
Was uncertainty about the club's future at play in his mind? Over the next few weeks, Mbappe will choose to stay at PSG - and extend a contract that expires after next season - or leave. He will take his time to make a decision and is speaking directly to al-Khelaiah about the situation, but what is certain is that, had there been a resolution earlier, this would have been a less possible distraction.
Mbappe will take this experience as a failure and not only does he hate to fail, he is not used to doing it. Since his debut as a 16-year-old in Monaco, he has been successful in almost everything, but not this time. In that, however, he was far from alone; France had other issues.
Mbappe simply can't be blamed for an early, embarrassing exit, even if he missed the final penalty. Yet criticism directed at him is part of the process for a top player. After all, he was dreaming of a great tournament, with goals and performances to put his name at the top of Ballon d'Or candidates, and much more to be expected.
His private plane was ready for him and his family to go on vacation. He needs rest after a draining season that effectively began on the same day the previous one ended. There are questions that need to be answered, but for now, Mbappe will take a proper break and try to forget about football and Euro 2020.