{"id":13258,"date":"2026-03-28T15:48:38","date_gmt":"2026-03-28T15:48:38","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/sportup.se\/?p=13258"},"modified":"2026-03-28T18:19:15","modified_gmt":"2026-03-28T18:19:15","slug":"football-mums","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/sportup.se\/en\/football-mums\/","title":{"rendered":"FOTBALL MOMS"},"content":{"rendered":"
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FOTBALL MOMS<\/h1>\n\t<\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n\n\t\t<\/div> \n\t<\/div>\n\t<\/div> \n<\/div><\/div>
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Behind every great football star there is often an even stronger mum. We take a closer look at three of football's most famous mums - Turid Gunnes (Oscar Bobb), Gry Marita Braut (Erling Haaland) and Fayza Lamari (Kylian Mbapp\u00e9) - and how their sacrifices have shaped the careers of some of the world's best players. Read more about Oscar Bobb's mum here.<\/p>\n

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More articles: Football (soccer)<\/a><\/em><\/p>\n

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Football mums who shaped the stars - about Turid Gunnes, Gry Marita Braut and Fayza Lamari<\/h2>\n

Want to know more about Oscar Bobbs' mum Turid Gunnes and her role in his career? Read our in-depth article about Oscar Bobb and his mum here.<\/a><\/p>\n

OSCAR BOBBS' MUM - THE ACTRESS WHO SACRIFICED EVERYTHING FOR HER SON'S DREAM<\/h2>\n

Turid Gunnes is not just anyone. She's a Norwegian actress with roots in the Gunnes sports family from Rennebu - and she's the mother of one of Norway's most exciting football talents, Oscar Bobb, who now plays in the Premier League for Fulham.<\/p>\n

What makes Turid Gunnes special among football mums is the story of what she actually did for her son. In 2015, she packed her bags and moved to Portugal - not because she had to, but because her then 12-year-old son Oscar had been given the chance to play for FC Porto's prestigious academy. In order for FIFA's rules on international transfers of underage players not to block Oscar's opportunities, there needed to be a legitimate reason for the family to be in Portugal. Turid solved this by taking a theatre project in Porto and establishing herself there.<\/p>\n

It was a bold move. FIFA never approved the transfer certificate, and the case eventually went to CAS - sport's highest legal body - which sided with FIFA. Oscar was forced to return to Norway. But his mother Turid had shown what she was prepared to do for her son. The whole episode testifies to a commitment that goes far beyond the ordinary.<\/p>\n

Turid Gunnes is open about the fact that Oscar probably inherited his sporting talent from the Gunnes side of the family - a family with strong sporting traditions. Oscar Bobb is of Norwegian-Gambian descent, and the combination of backgrounds seems to have given him the technique, speed and nose for goal that makes him one of the most interesting players in the Premier League today.<\/p>\n

Today, Oscar Bobb plays for Fulham, where he joined from Manchester City in January 2026 in a deal worth around \u00a327 million. His mum Turid is often seen in the stands and has never stopped being the person Oscar turns to when the wind blows.<\/p>\n

GRY MARITA BRAUT - THE MOTHER OF EUROPE'S TOP SCORER<\/h2>\n

When talking about football mums in the Nordics, it's almost impossible not to mention Gry Marita Braut - the mother of Erling Haaland, Manchester City's and Norway's absolute star.<\/p>\n

Gry Marita Braut is not just a proud mum in the stands. She is herself a former track and field athlete and elite heptathlete, so the talent in the family has clear genetic roots. When people wonder why Erling is so athletic, explosive and physically dominant, just look at his mum.<\/p>\n

Erling Haaland is known for his extreme dedication to training, his strict dietary habits and his professionalism off the pitch. Many of those attributes are linked to his upbringing in Bryne and Molde, where his mum and dad Alfie Haaland - who also had a Premier League career - set high standards combined with loving support.<\/p>\n

Gry Marita Braut generally keeps a low profile compared to other football parents, but she is a fixture in the stands when Erling plays for Norway or his club. The Norwegian press has repeatedly highlighted her as a key part of Erling's stable personality and mental strength.<\/p>\n

Erling Haaland broke the Premier League record for goals in a season with 36 in his debut season and is now ranked as one of the best footballers in the world. Behind that success is a childhood shaped by two sporting parents - and a mother with an iron will.<\/p>\n

FAYZA LAMARI - THE MUM WHO BECAME FOOTBALL'S MOST POWERFUL AGENT<\/h2>\n

No list of influential football mums is complete without Fayza Lamari - the mother of the French superstar Kylian Mbapp\u00e9.<\/a><\/p>\n

Born in 1974 in France with roots in Algeria, Fayza Lamari was a successful handball player herself, representing the French national team in the late 1990s and early 2000s. But it's her role as her son's agent and business strategist that really put her on the map.<\/p>\n

It is Fayza who has guided Mbapp\u00e9's career choices, negotiated contracts with clubs like PSG and Real Madrid, and built a business family around her son. Kylian Mbapp\u00e9 himself has defended his mother in public, emphasising that she is not his agent, but his mother - but that she happens to do the work of an agent better than most.<\/p>\n

Fayza founded the FLA agency in 2022 to formally represent Kylian and his brother Ethan. That same year, she played a pivotal role in one of the most talked-about contract negotiations in football history, when Mbapp\u00e9 ultimately chose to stay at PSG despite an offer from Real Madrid - a decision Fayza herself described as wrong, as she wanted her son to leave.<\/p>\n

The Mbapp\u00e9 family also bought into French second division club Caen in 2024 for around \u20ac20 million. The project has had a rough start and the club was relegated from Ligue 2, but Fayza has continued to defend the venture, emphasising that it is a long-term community project.<\/p>\n

Fayza Lamari represents a new generation of football mums - those who are not content to sit in the stands but actively shape their children's careers.<\/p>\n

WHY ARE FOOTBALL MUMS SO IMPORTANT?<\/h2>\n

There is a recurring pattern in the stories of the world's best footballers: the mother plays a crucial role, not only as emotional support but as an active driver, logistician and sometimes strategic partner.<\/p>\n

Turid Gunnes packed up and moved to Portugal. Gry Marita Braut brought her sporting genes with her and created an environment where performance was highly valued. Fayza Lamari trained, networked and took her place in the negotiating room.<\/p>\n

It's easy to focus on the stars on the pitch. But behind them are women who often made the toughest decisions, sacrificed their own careers and ambitions, and fought behind the scenes to ensure their children had the chance to realise their potential.<\/p>\n

For more on Oscar Bobb and his Norwegian background, you can read more about how his upbringing and family shaped his journey to the Premier League.<\/p>\n

THREE MUMS, THREE STORIES, ONE COMMON THEME<\/h2>\n

Football is about more than technique and training. It's about upbringing, environment and the people who believe in you when no one else does. Turid Gunnes, Gry Marita Braut and Fayza Lamari are three very different women from three very different backgrounds - but they share a common denominator: they have all produced world stars.<\/p>\n

Next time you see Oscar Bobb accelerate past a defender at Craven Cottage, Erling Haaland place a goal in just the right corner or Kylian Mbapp\u00e9 set up a move at the Bernab\u00e9u, remember that there is a mum in the background who once made a decision that changed everything.<\/p>\n

The pattern is also seen in Swedish stars - like Zlatan Ibrahimovi\u0107, whose mum Jurka Gravic read more here<\/a> also played a central role in his life.\"<\/em><\/p>\n\t<\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n\n\t\t<\/div> \n\t<\/div>\n\t<\/div> \n<\/div><\/div>

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