For Paris Match, Fayza, the mother of Kylian Mbappé, evokes her memories of an extraordinary child from an early age.

“For a long time, Kylian cried out in the ‘wilderness’ that he was a football Mozart. He always had this ability to predict what was to come, as if he had already lived his life. But even us, his parents, we sometimes doubted it and I admit that I have called him a “little myth” more than once. Until I bow to his determination and realize that he was really different.

“No one was able to say what this endearing, handsome but exhausting child had on his mind. He never slept, spoke like a mill, was bored with those of his age, in the field and in life. Every day, he got up at 6 a.m. and kept fidgeting only to fall asleep at 7:30 p.m. Impossible to contain his energy in an F3; with him, we were doomed to the opening of parks and zoos. Only the DVDs of “Père Castor” or “Kirikou” offered a short respite. Kylian was a bit early, blessed with a phenomenal memory. At 4 years old, he was able to spot all the countries that had participated in the World Cup on the globe and knew the lyrics of an Aznavour album by heart. I remember this Cameroonian driver who he drove crazy by singing them all along the road from Douala to Yaoundé.

“When he stops, it is to recover: he sleeps so much that he is called “the koala”!

In kindergarten, he refused a nap. The mistresses were pulling their hair out. In primary, he was 20 everywhere, then the marks started to be irregular as his obsession with football grew. Not a day of school without me being summoned…”