French-Cameroonian icon Kylian Mbappé’s mother reveals emotional truth behind his bitter PSG exit

Kylian Mbappé’s mother and agent, Fayza Lamari, has shed new light on the Real Madrid striker’s tense departure from Paris Saint-Germain, revealing the emotional toll of his move to Spain.

Mbappé left PSG a year ago, only to watch the Paris club go on to clinch a historic quadruple, including Ligue 1 and the Champions League.

Mbappé, who has Cameroonian and Algerian roots through his parents, had been at the centre of one of the most high-profile transfers in modern football.

Lamari told L’Équipe that she warned her son PSG would win Europe’s biggest prize before Real Madrid.

“When he wanted to leave Paris, I warned him that Paris Saint-Germain would win the Champions League before Real Madrid. He told me he knew. But he just wanted to start over,” she said.

Lamari also spoke about Mbappé’s lifelong admiration for Real Madrid legends. “I still remember Kylian’s reaction when he met Zinedine Zidane as a child. He was spellbound.

“He didn’t want to wash his jacket anymore because Zidane had touched it. When Real Madrid arrived, I felt the same way,” she recalled.

It wasn’t only Zidane who inspired him. “When Cristiano Ronaldo moved from Manchester United to Madrid… from that moment on, Kylian started calling himself Portuguese,” she revealed.

“He would go to a friend’s house to watch the games. To cheer for Ronaldo. He was a little in love.”

Lamari admitted criticism of her son sometimes feels personal. “But not the criticism about him not defending, because he hasn’t done so since he was four,” she joked. “But when the fans boo him, it’s like you’ve lost your son. He belongs to everyone except you.”

She also described the intense pressure during his 2022 PSG contract renewal, claiming it was the only time the family stepped in to convince him to sign amid concerns over jobs, TV rights and major events in Paris.