A look back at when Kylian Mbappe was known as Mbappe Lottin and the mystery behind his name change

Kylian Mbappé is one of the best players in the world, but he was once known by a slightly different name.

The French superstar is set to end his tenure at Paris Saint-Germain at the end of the season and has finally agreed a deal to join Real Madrid this summer with an official announcement expected at any time.

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The 25-year-old told PSG earlier this year he would leave the French capital at the end of the year, and terms have been agreed for a deal worth £13m per season at Bernabeu.

But the striker wasn’t always known as Mbappe, and his official birth name is Mbappe Lottin.

The mystery behind Mbappé’s name change

Back when Mbappe was about to make his breakthrough at Monaco, the striker used both of his last names.

The striker made his first-team debut when he was just 16 in 2015.

And his second match and Europa League debut came eight days later as Monaco were beaten 4-1 by Tottenham.

But if you look at the team sheet for this match, you will see that Mbappe’s name is Mbappe Lottin.

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His name was still Mbappé Lottin during his last season with Monaco.

But by the time he joined PSG, Mbappe Lottin was no more and he was simply called Mbappe.

The real reason he and the rest of the family dropped the name is unclear.

His father was once known as Mbappe Lottin, but his name is now just Mbappe, and the World Cup winner’s younger brother Ethan is the same.

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Lottin is a very common middle name in Cameroon, where Mbappé’s father was born.

Mbappe could have represented Cameroon at international level but quickly decided to choose France and has insisted in the past that no one from the Cameroon FA had ever approached him.

So the name drop could be linked to that, or it could be because Mbappe is more marketable and easier for jersey sales and sponsorship deals.

It certainly rides better than Mbappe Lottin.

And Real Madrid fans around the world can expect the Frenchman to soon wear the famous white jersey with Mbappé on the back.