Kylian Mbappé is currently living like a global superstar. Despite that, the Real Madrid forward is closely guided by his loved ones. In a major interview, his mother shares what it’s like to sometimes follow the French striker of Los Blancos as a family member.
Embed from Getty Images
Mbappé’s mother, Fayza Lamari, is not only a parent but also one of the most influential figures in her son’s career.
As his long-time agent and trusted advisor, she has been at his side through every major decision from signing his first professional contract with AS Monaco, to making the blockbuster move to Paris Saint-Germain, and finally fulfilling his childhood dream of joining Real Madrid.
When Real Madrid came knocking last summer, after years of speculation and failed attempts, Lamari admitted that she felt torn between professional instinct and maternal intuition. On one hand, she knew how much the white shirt meant to Kylian; on the other, she foresaw the sporting risks. “When he wanted to leave Paris, I warned him that Paris Saint-Germain would win the Champions League before Real Madrid,” she revealed in an interview with Marca. Her words carried weight and ultimately proved prophetic. Just a year after Mbappé’s departure, PSG, so often criticized for failing on the European stage, finally lifted the Champions League trophy without their star forward.
For Lamari, however, this was not a matter of regret. She explained that her son needed a clean slate, a fresh environment where he could redefine himself both as a player and as a man. “He said he knew that. But he just wanted a completely fresh start,” she recalled. In her eyes, the move to Madrid reawakened something in him the pure joy and unfiltered passion that had driven him as a child. “That’s when I rediscovered the Kylian I knew as a little boy. The child who dared to dream in his bedroom.”
Those dreams, she reminded, were always painted in white. Lamari recounted a touching childhood memory that illustrates just how deep Kylian’s admiration for Real Madrid ran. “I still remember how Kylian reacted when he met Zinedine Zidane as a kid. He was enchanted. He didn’t even want to wash his jacket anymore because Zidane had touched it. When Real Madrid came to the door, I had that same feeling.”
Mbappé’s love affair with Madrid and its legends is well documented. His childhood bedroom walls were famously plastered with images of Cristiano Ronaldo, his footballing idol. “It started with Zidane, but when Cristiano Ronaldo moved from Manchester United to Madrid… Kylian started calling himself Portuguese too,” Lamari laughed. “He would go to a friend’s house just to watch the matches, to cheer for Ronaldo. He was kind of in love.” These early obsessions shaped not only his ambitions but also his identity as a footballer blending Zidane’s elegance with Ronaldo’s drive, goals, and showmanship.
But alongside the glittering rise came challenges that only a mother could truly feel. Lamari confessed that the criticism her son receives often cuts deeply, even if she tries to stay strong. “Not when he doesn’t defend, because he hasn’t done that since his fourth birthday,” she joked. “But when the fans boo him, that’s when you lose your son. He becomes everyone’s, except yours.”
That sense of losing him to the world is something she has had to live with for years. From a young age, Kylian was thrust into the global spotlight, carrying not only the hopes of clubs and sponsors but also of an entire nation. Now, as one of the most recognizable faces in world sport, his life is consumed by football. “At the moment, he has no time for anything else in his life but football,” Lamari admitted candidly. “I don’t know if I would have wanted to live like that, but it’s his choice. And his dream.”
Her words reveal the double-edged sword of superstardom. On the one hand, Kylian Mbappé has achieved what millions of children only dream about: playing for Real Madrid, lifting a World Cup, and establishing himself as one of the greatest players of his generation. On the other, he has sacrificed the normality of youth, the freedom of anonymity, and the balance that comes with an ordinary life. For his mother, that reality is both a source of immense pride and a constant worry.
The relationship between Mbappé and his mother goes beyond contracts and negotiations. It is a story of guidance, protection, and love. Fayza Lamari was herself a professional handball player, which gave her unique insight into the demands of elite sport. She knows the pressure, the physical toll, and the mental battles athletes face. That background has helped her steer her son through the treacherous waters of fame, money, and expectation.
And yet, despite being his representative in the toughest boardroom battles, she never stops being a mother first. The stories she tells of a boy refusing to wash a jacket touched by Zidane, of a teenager glued to the television cheering for Ronaldo, of a child daring to dream from the solitude of his bedroom remind the world that beneath the superstar, there is still Kylian, her son.
Now, as he embarks on his journey with Real Madrid, those childhood dreams have become reality. The weight of the white shirt, the legacy of legends like Di Stéfano, Raúl, Zidane, and Ronaldo, all rest on his shoulders. And watching from the sidelines, as she has always done, is his mother proud, protective, and occasionally worried, but always the guiding voice reminding him of who he is and where he came from.
Updated: 12:04, 11 Sep 2025
