Adrien Rabiot's mother Veronique has leapt to the defence of her son in the wake of some below-par displays that have prompted criticism sent in his direction.
Rabiot is often a headache for fans and coaches alike, so clearly blessed with technical talent but his inability to find consistent form is as head-scratching as it is infuriating. Having spent seven years in the French capital with Paris Saint-Germain, the midfielder upped sticks to Turin to ply his trade for Juventus in 2019.
The 26-year-old is closely guided by his mother who serves as his agent, though Veronique has also come under fire at times for the handling of certain situations throughout Rabiot's career. She is rumoured to have a huge influence over defining decisions and has burned plenty of bridges with some coaches and clubs.
Veronique has since hit back at the media by claiming the negative image surrounding his son stems purely from their reluctance to communicate with journalists.
"I have thick skin. I have nothing to prove. We have nothing to prove. I don’t want to talk about myself, and neither does Adrien," she told Ouest France. "He plays football, it’s his passion, but off the field, he would like to lead a discreet life. He doesn’t want to explain or justify himself.
"Everyone makes mistakes throughout their lives. We don’t realize that footballers are teenagers when they start out and that they have to grow into men. They’re not robots. In Italy, the press says he’s been poor? He doesn’t worry about that, he plays every game.
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"I would like the general public to know what the path is like for footballers to reach the top level. All we say is that they’re overpaid and so on…but people don’t know that it requires sacrifices from them and a mentality of steel."
Reflecting on the dynamic between her son and herself that is portrayed to the media, Veronique claimed: "The image of the child with his mother does not reflect reality at all. I am an authoritarian person, it is true. But not what is described in the media."
