The mother of Lamine Yamal, from fast-food to guest of honor at a gala in London

The sports media The Athletic, which attended the event, describes it as "both strange and fascinating". The dinner was held on Friday evening in a luxury hotel near Tower Bridge, with VIP tickets sold for up to 313 pounds sterling, promising a souvenir photo with the guest. However, many guests, including one who confessed to being "more of a rugby person", did not seem to know who Lamine Yamal was.

Arriving an hour late, Sheila Ebana, originally from Equatorial Guinea, was welcomed by the organizer. She was connected to the event through former footballer Benjamin Zarandona. The organizer, saying she was a "big fan of Yamal", thanked her guest by telling her: "You have given us a global football superstar".

Lamine Yamal’s mother remained very discreet

Despite her status as guest of honor, the mother of the prodigy remained very discreet. Not speaking English, she only uttered one sentence to the audience during the entire evening: "muchas gracias a todos" ("thank you very much to everyone").

All attempts by the journalists present to interview her were quickly blocked by her entourage. "No questions about Yamal, and no recording," warned one of her friends. When asked about her presence, she turned to him to convey a barely audible response. The organizers then explained that her "motivation was to take advantage of the gala [...] to network".

This evening illustrates the incredible excitement surrounding the young player. His mother, who raised Lamine Yamal alone after separating from the player’s Moroccan father, worked in a fast-food restaurant before her son joined La Masia at the age of 12. Today, she finds herself at the center of high-society events, even though she refuses to speak about the career of the one who recently described her as "my queen, the one I love the most".