Throwback to when Kylian Mbappe was known as Mbappe Lottin and the mystery behind his name change

Kylian Mbappe has been the best player at the 2022 World Cup so far and now the trophy is in his sights.

The Paris Saint-Germain superstar has already bagged five goals for France and is in the form of his life as Les Bleus prepare to take on Argentina in World Cup final this weekend.

The 23-year-old was one of the stars in Russia as Didier Deschamps' men became world champions, and he has an 'obsession' with FIFA's showpiece event.

But the striker hasn't always been known as Mbappe, and his official birth name is Mbappe Lottin, but the reason why he changed this remains unclear.

The mystery behind Mbappe's name change

Back when Mbappe was about to make his breakthrough at Monaco, the forward used both of his surnames.

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

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

But if you look at the teamsheet for that game, you will see that Mbappe is called Mbappe Lottin.

He was still called Mbappe Lottin during his last season with Monaco.

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

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The real reason why he and the rest of the family dropped the name isn't clear.

His father was once known as Mbappe Lottin but now just goes by the name Mbappe, and his younger brother Ethan is the same.

Lottin is a second name that is very common in Cameroon, where Mbappe'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 Cameroonian FA has ever approached him.

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

It certainly rolls off the tongue better than Mbappe Lottin.

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