PSG star Kylian Mbappe used different name while at Monaco before it was dropped

PSG star Kylian Mbappe went by a different name during his early days as a professional at Monaco, before soon changing it.

The France captain came through Monaco's academy, and broke through into the first team in 2015.

By the 2016/17 season, Mbappe had formed a potent strike partnership with Radamel Falcao as part of a star-studded side which also featured Bernardo Silva, Fabinho and Thomas Lemar.

The principality side broke PSG's hegemony over the Ligue 1 title, and also reached the Champions League semi-finals.

They lost just three Ligue 1 matches all season, and none after December, with Mbappe scoring 15 goals.

That achievement was made all the more remarkable by the fact that the Frenchman wasn't a regular in Leonardo Jardim's team during the first part of the season.

By the end of the campaign, though, he was known to the world - and made a big-money move to PSG, initially on loan, at the beginning of the following season.

When PSG announced the signing, he was addressed as Kylian Mbappe - but that wasn't the name he always went under at Monaco.

Mbappe's full name is, in fact, Kylian Mbappe Lottin, which is what he was referred to during his early days at Monaco. However, he did go by simply 'Mbappe' on the back of his shirt.

The reason behind the decision has never been revealed, although several suggestions have been presented over the years.

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But FIFA players will fondly remember Mbappe's slew of in-form cards on FIFA 17, which carried the name Lottin on the card design.

His rating back then was 71 - a far cry from today, when he is the joint-highest rated player on the EA FC 24 game at 91 overall.

Mbappe's future, meanwhile, is currently up in the air, with reports claiming that he is close to signing a five-year contract with Real Madrid once his PSG contract expires at the end of the season.

But there is a race on for his signature, with Manchester United, Liverpool and Arsenal among the teams said to be interested.