Mothers can either be incredibly annoying or very insightful - depending on how old you are. But their love is unwavering and they always find the strength to ensure a good life for their children.
Footballers' moms are obviously no different. Here are six cases where some badass moms went above and beyond the call of duty to help their sons make something of themselves.
1. Marcus Rashford
The 22-year-old striker has often spoken about his mother's influence on his career. As he forced the UK government into making a U-turn on their school meal voucher scheme for vulnerable children, Marcus Rashford did not hesitate to open up about the struggles he faced in his childhood.
However, through it all, he credited his mother for standing strong - even though she was a single mother raising five children on minimum wages.
From convincing United to give him a chance a year early - to going out of her way to feed Rashford and his siblings - Melanie has indeed done it all.
2. Cristiano Ronaldo
Maria Dolores dos Santos Aveiro famously remarked she almost aborted Cristiano Ronaldo when she first found out about her pregnancy. It's a good thing she didn't because then the world would've missed out on possibly one of the most hardworking and talented players ever.
Born with a racing heart condition, young Ronaldo needed treatment in order to fulfil his dreams of becoming a footballer. He went on to have heart surgery at the tender age of 15 but the road was anything but easy.
His father passed away when he was just 20, meaning he missed out on most of Ronaldo's exemplary achievements. However, his mother did everything she could to ensure the Portuguese ace turned into the sensation that he is today.
She took care of his footballing commitments when he was a child and also played a role in helping him manage his finances until he turned 18. And now, she is reaping the fruits of her many sacrifices as she spends most of her time taking care of her grandchildren.
3. Lionel Messi
Messi's mother Celia too played an important role in his growth and development as a footballer.
Like Ronaldo, the Barcelona star was also born with a condition that threatened to end his footballing career even before he started. When his parents realized that as a child, Messi wasn't growing as much as his friends, they took him to a doctor and realized he had a hormone deficiency that restricted his growth.
The treatment expenses proved to be too much for his parents to bear but that did not stop them. Initially, they reached out to the club he was with at the time - Newell's Old Boys. They helped him a bit but Celia knew that it wouldn't be enough in the long run.
After a few more trials and tribulations, Barcelona came into the mix and offered to pay for his treatment after he impressed during the trials. Immediately, his family decided to move to Spain to help young Messi stay closer to what would end up becoming the most crucial place in his career.
Messi often credits his grandmother for taking him to football coaching and getting him his first pair of boots but unfortunately, she passed away when he was 10. Well, she may have planted the seeds but it was Celia and his father Jorge who helped him achieve his dreams.
4. Paul Pogba
Similar to Rashford's story, Pogba's mother Yeo Moriba brought up her three boys alone while living in a council flat in Paris. She raised them to value love and family above everything else.
One of their neighbours from their home in Paris said: "Yeo wanted the very best for all of them from day one, but this was nothing to do with money. She absolutely adored her boys and didn’t care who knew it.
"Day-to-day life could be a struggle, but she knew all the boys were going places. If anybody did anything to upset them or hold them back, then Yeo did not care about upsetting anyone or losing money. She just wanted her boys to be happy."
The boys often refer to her as 'super-mum' and well, she lived up to that towards the end of Pogba's first spell with Manchester United as a youngster.
She played a role in convincing Pogba to exit the club in 2012. In an interview back then, she said: "We got together with Paul’s brothers and decided that he would not sign a new deal.
"Ferguson punished him by never playing Paul. He was alone. He even cried in Ferguson’s office because of the way he was treated."
To stand up against one of the biggest football managers of all time is no mean feat. It might not have been the ideal way to handle things or even the "right" way but Yeo didn't care. Her son's happiness continues to be her biggest priority and that's all she cares about.
5. Eden Hazard
Hazard probably belongs to one of the most football-crazed families ever. Everyone in his family plays the beautiful game - including his mother, who used to play as a striker back in the day.
In fact, the world listened in amazement as it was revealed that she played football even while she was three months pregnant with Eden. The seeds were planted even before Eden came into the world.
From the time that he was born, Carine Hazard played a role in shaping and developing Eden's skills. The love for the beautiful game is strong in the family but Carine almost played an invisible hand as a young Eden discovered and fell in love with his insane skills.
At the age of 4, he joined a local football club named Royal Stade Brainois and from there on, the rest is history.
6. Sergio Aguero
All the stories so far have been about mothers helping their kids after they were born. But in Sergio Aguero's case, we have a story wherein the mother fought hard even before he was born.
Adriana Aguero gave birth to her first child Jessica when she was 17 and her husband was 19. Finances were an issue but they were able to get enough material together to build a small home.
After finding out that she was pregnant with her second child, things got tougher. In March 1988, the place they lived in was battered by heavy storms that ended up causing terrible floods. They had to be evacuated to a different place and managed to survive, even as 24 people lost their lives.
A lengthy period of hardships followed that involves sleeping on the floor of a religious school. Subsequently, Adriana and her family returned home.
However, six-and-a-half months into her pregnancy, she went into labour but the local hospital did not have the equipment needed to help her situation.
As a result, they had to make a strenuous three-hour journey by switching two buses and a train to Buenos Aires. She ended up staying in that hospital for two months as he was advised to prolong her pregnancy. Adriana was kept in a small room with no company as her husband tried to balance multiple jobs and also took care of Jessica.
Finally, when the due date arrived, the doctors had informed her that the baby was stuck and that they may need to use forceps but Adriana refused as she feared it would impact her child. She ended up putting her life at risk to ensure Sergio Aguero was born.
Later, Aguero would describe his mother as a strict figure but had she not made the choice to risk her life, the Manchester City superstar would have perhaps not been born.
