Meet Man Utd target Adrien Rabiot's mum – Controversies, outbursts and reputation

Adrien Rabiot’s mother and agent, Veronique, is renowned in the world of football for her assertive presence and outspoken personality. She could soon be a familiar face at Manchester United as the club look set to begin talks with long-time transfer target Rabiot.

The Frenchman, 29, is currently a free agent, having left Juventus in the summer after his contract expired. After turning down offers from Galatasaray and the Saudi Pro League, the Daily Star reports that Rabiot could arrive at Old Trafford as Erik ten Hag looks to bolster his midfield options. United came close to signing Rabiot in 2020 and again in 2022, with Veronique revealing earlier this summer that she and the Red Devils are on excellent terms.

Should United finally land Rabiot, they will also be signing his mother and the avalanche of opinions that come with her. Veronique has certainly set a precedent in that regard, curating a fiery reputation in the world of football which the Express will now look to dissect.

Hands on, early on

Le Parisien’s Dominique Severac once described Veronique’s influence on Rabiot’s career, saying: “She’s involved in all his decisions and even initiates them. She imposes herself on him. Her influence is major and total.”

Rabiot joined Paris Saint-Germain in 2010 and, when he was 15, was invited on a youth team trip to Qatar in 2012. He withdrew from the squad after his club apparently refused to let his mum accompany him on the tour.

His loan to Toulouse in 2013 was not without drama either; head coach Alain Casanova admitted that he had to turn down Veronique’s request to be present at every first-team training session. A few years later, she infamously confronted PSG manager Laurent Blanc in a parking lot to express her displeasure when Rabiot was dropped from the first team.

PSG ‘prisoner’

Rabiot made his breakthrough at PSG, being promoted to the first team by then-manager Carlo Ancelotti in the 2012/13 season. He made his debut as a mere 17-year-old and was part of the side which beat Barcelona 4-0 at the Parc des Princes.

But by 2019, Rabiot’s relationship with the club had deteriorated significantly. His mother branded him “a prisoner” of PSG in an interview with L’Equipe as tensions peaked during the final months of his contract.

Then 23, he’d been frozen out of Thomas Tuchel’s side following links to several European clubs. And his mother went all out as she leant into the prisoner analogy.

She said: “He is even held hostage by PSG. Soon it will be dry bread, water, and a dungeon! This environment is cruel. They want him to put on his pyjamas at nine o’clock, before the game, in front of his TV, to go to bed at eleven o’clock!”

National team row

Her advice continued to affect Rabiot’s career, even spilling over into national team disputes with France manager Didier Deschamps. Rabiot only returned to Les Bleus’ set-up for the 2022 World Cup after her influence saw him exiled for several years.

The central-midfielder had been put on the standby list for the 2018 World Cup despite playing 50 times for Unai Emery’s PSG side that season. In a move he would regret, the player petulantly withdrew from the national team shortlist as France went on to win the World Cup.

He said: “If I have decided to withdraw from the list of reservations it is because I consider the choice of the recruiter in my regard does not respond to any sporting logic because for all these years the message was clear, it is the performances in the club that open the doors to the French national team.

“I am a competitor, but also a man and I would like to be considered as such (…) and finally I will assume all the consequences of my choice with the support of family and relatives.”

Euro 2020 fury – Pogba and Mbappe clashes

Kylian Mbappe endured a dismal Euro 2020 by his high standards which culminated in him missing a crucial penalty against Switzerland, sending France home early. Veronique immediately gave her thoughts on the ex-PSG star’s penalty miss, directing her fury at Mbappe’s parents – Wilfried and Fayza Lamari – in the stands. According to several ESPN sources, she warned Wilfried to speak to his “arrogant” son.

She reportedly fumed: “It is embarrassing how he struck that, for a player of his level. He hit it too lightly, I hope you are going to scold him.” According to The Athletic, witnesses also claimed she had a confrontation with members of Paul Pogba’s family at the game, blaming Pogba for Switzerland’s third goal.

Another source with inside knowledge of the France squad told The Athletic: “Rabiot’s mother is known to be very sensitive and very close to her son and she didn’t appreciate what Pogba’s friends were saying about one of Adrien’s touches.

“So she blamed Pogba for the loss of the ball in midfield (leading to Switzerland’s third goal). Then she went to Mbappe’s father: ‘You better take care of your son because he has a big head and too much protection from the press and I think he’s arrogant’. So it’s a mess and she is well known for that at Paris Saint-Germain and Juventus.”

‘I’m an authoritarian’

In an interview with Ouest-France (via Marca), Veronique attempted to give some background to her controversial actions and misunderstood character. “The image of the child with his mother does not reflect reality at all,” she argued. “I am an authoritarian person, it is true. But not what is described in the media. I think it [her reputation in the media] has to do with the fact that we don’t talk to journalists enough. So they lament us. But I have thick skin. I have nothing to prove, we have nothing to prove.”

A source with close ties to Rabiot’s family told The Athletic some additional background which may add further context. Adrien’s father has suffered from locked-in syndrome since a serious stroke in 2007, which meant Veronique had to raise her sons “singlehandedly”.

The source said: “She stands her ground. She goes overboard but she raised her boys and took her son everywhere for football, no matter if it was minus five degrees and snow. And she is an honest woman. She gives money to church. She was [from a] very poor upbringing.

“She is really hard-nosed. She is not a prima donna. She gives back to people who helped her before. Is she too loud? Yes. But she has a lot of baggage. The context is everything. She is not a bad person. And she will always defend her son to death.”