Series (5/5)
Testimony
Collected by Xavier Renard
Published on July 4, 2026 at 4:32 p.m.
Lecture : 4 min
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To support her three children on the path to professional football, Leïla invested enormously, even choosing to leave her job.
Charles Monnier
During the 2026 World Cup, football will thrill millions of fans. Coaches, players, referees or parents of players: they all share this visceral connection with football, well beyond sport. This week, Leïla Diop, 54 years old, mother of three professional footballers: Sofiane (Nice), 26 years old, Edan (AS Monaco), 22 years old, and Noham (Rennes), 16 years old.
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5 episodes
Ma passion foot
Football has always been around me. I grew up in Romorantin (Loir-et-Cher), in a family of seven children. My father followed the matches like any good football fan, without really having a favorite team. My two brothers and some of my sisters also shared this love. In the neighborhood where we lived, girls and boys played together. I happened to be in the field. But my real passion was handball. I played in a club until I was 18, I was even selected for the French youth team.
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