From the very beginning, the Mbappé family worked hard to keep outsiders at a distance. Dozens of agents approached them over the years, hoping to represent Kylian ever since he was an eight-year-old dazzling defenders twice his size in Bondy, but they were all turned away. Financial advisers offering to arrange sponsorship deals received the same answer: his father, Wilfrid, would handle his sporting career, while his mother, Fayza, managed everything else, with Kylian having the final say in any decision about his future, on or off the pitch. This remains true today. Kylian does not have a FIFA-registered agent, and no one outside his immediate family shares in the earnings from his contracts with clubs or commercial partners.
That isn’t to say others aren’t involved. Luís Campos, a sporting adviser for clubs owned by Qatar Sports Investments, who previously held similar roles at Lille and Monaco, remains a trusted advisor. He has been a key figure since helping navigate the young Kylian’s early challenges at Monaco. Former L’Équipe journalist Bilel Ghazi, though not FIFA-licensed, has provided media guidance to the family and has worked with other players like Rayan Cherki (whom Fayza also briefly represented). However, neither Campos nor Ghazi are part of the inner circle.
Eventually, as Kylian neared his first professional contract with Monaco, the family realized they could no longer manage everything solely with the help of family friends like the Mbomas. Unwilling to hand his affairs to a traditional agent, they decided to hire the best lawyer they could find—and they succeeded. While it has been said that Fayza held auditions to choose the right candidate, that isn’t entirely accurate. In 2015, it was Fayza who reached out to Delphine Verheyden, a 44-year-old graduate of Assas University, not the other way around.
“I didn’t know Kylian, I don’t know anything about football, I admit that,” Verheyden told Ouest France in 2022. “And that’s exactly what [Fayza] was looking for. This extraordinary woman moved me; I wanted to help her.” Despite her claimed lack of football knowledge, sports were far from unfamiliar to her. While training for the bar, she had interned at a Boston law firm specializing in athletes and remembered a mentor predicting that lawyers would increasingly take over the work of traditional agents. This was already happening in the U.S., and she believed France would follow, as “France tends to lag 20 years behind the States.”
Back in France, Verheyden connected with another lawyer, Jean-Jacques Bertrand, a well-known figure in sports circles. Bertrand had represented cycling legend Jacques Anquetil after his retirement and was by Eric Cantona’s side during his famous “seagulls” speech in 1995. Cantona also appointed him as a director for his short-lived wine and brandy companies. Bertrand later served on the Court of Arbitration for Sport and co-founded the International Association of Football Lawyers. Verheyden could hardly have found a better-connected mentor.
While 16-year-old Kylian was her first football client, Verheyden had previously worked with the French Rugby Union Federation early in her career. Her first major client was the multiple world and Olympic judo champion Teddy Riner in 2007, followed by other top Olympians.Among Delphine Verheyden’s clients are household names in French sports, such as biathlete Martin Fourcade, canoeist Tony Estanguet, pole vaulter Renaud Lavillenie, and skier Perrine Laffont. Verheyden is a fierce negotiator who will battle relentlessly for even a few thousand extra euros if she believes it is her client’s due. She recognized long before most others in the French agency world that an elite athlete is not merely a performer but also a brand and an image. While her career has brought her wealth, she has never accepted commissions, charging the same hourly rate to every client regardless of their fame or the contract size. She worries that taking a percentage could cloud her judgment, tempting her to make choices that might harm her clients and, ultimately, herself.
Wilfrid Mbappé had already stepped back from the forefront of his son Kylian’s career some time ago. He clearly relished being the father of a star—a VIP pass to the parties, events, and games he loved attending, especially now that Kylian had surpassed the need for the kind of professional guidance Wilfrid, a player and coach of modest accomplishments, could offer. Wilfrid holds no official role in the various companies Kylian and his mother, Fayza, have established to manage the player’s image and interests in France and abroad. While Kylian still turns to his father for support, the childhood home he left years ago cannot be recreated.
Fayza, whose influence grew as Wilfrid’s faded, presented a more complex challenge. She was known to invite journalists for informal chats near the apartment she moved into after separating from Wilfrid in the spring of 2020.
Verheyden’s professional life now centers on the Mbappé project. Alongside her small legal team, she coordinates the work of roughly 30 full-time employees who manage her top client’s image and investments. It’s no surprise she has taken on only a handful of new clients since 2018, the year Kylian joined Paris Saint-Germain.
In the male-dominated world of football, how is it that Kylian Mbappé’s career is primarily steered by women—moreover, women with very little experience in men’s football and few contacts within it? There is Delphine, the guide, the facilitator, the rock. Then there is Patricia Goldman, a leading figure in public relations who helps shape Kylian’s communication strategy—a role she holds for no other sports personality. Her clients include superstar chefs like Alain Ducasse, business leaders such as Alain Afflelou, and global corporations like Air France and Renault. There is also Marie-Alix Canu-Bernard, a criminal lawyer who rose to prominence when Mbappé faced and was cleared of rape allegations in the autumn of 2024. And there is Barbara Uzzan, a Parisian accountant based in Los Angeles since 2007, who specializes in tax advice for French citizens and companies looking to establish a presence in the United States. Uzzan serves as the agent for Zebra Valley LLC, the company Kylian and Fayza set up in California in April 2022, just before signing with the US agency WME Sports and announcing a multi-year “content creation” partnership with the NBA.
And more important than anyone or anything else, there is Fayza.
This is an edited extract from The Mbappé Project by Philippe Auclair, published by Quercus (£25).
Frequently Asked Questions
Of course Here is a list of FAQs about Kylian Mbappés career being managed by women framed in a natural tone
BeginnerLevel Questions
1 Wait what do you mean his career is managed by women
It means the key decisionmakers in his professional lifehis agent lawyer and the head of his charitable foundationare all women They handle his contracts brand deals legal matters and public image
2 Who are these women managing his career
Fayza Lamari His mother who acts as his primary agent and negotiator
Delphine Verheyden A top sports lawyer who handles his complex legal and contractual matters
Assa Mbappé His younger sister who runs the Inspired by KM charitable foundation
3 Isnt it unusual to have your mom as your agent
For a global superstar at his level yes its very unusual Most top players are represented by large agencies Mbappé has chosen to keep this crucial role within his most trusted inner circle
4 Whats the benefit of having this setup
The biggest benefit is trust and aligned interests His family is inherently invested in his longterm wellbeing not just shortterm commissions It allows for unified strategic decisionmaking focused on his legacy
Advanced Practical Questions
5 Does this family business approach limit his opportunities
Some critics initially thought it might believing a big agency has more connections However his career moves prove that top brands and clubs are willing to negotiate directly with his team because of his immense talent and marketability
6 How do clubs and corporations react to negotiating with his mother
Reports suggest she is a fierce and savvy negotiator who has earned respect in a maledominated industry The success of the negotiationslike his recordbreaking contracts with Paris SaintGermain and Real Madridspeaks for itself
7 What are the potential challenges of this management style
The main challenge is balancing family dynamics with highstakes business It requires clear boundaries and professional discipline to avoid personal conflicts affecting major career decisions Theres also the constant pressure and scrutiny from the outside world
