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At around 8.30pm on Friday night in London and in the auditorium of the Leonardo Royal Hotel, a stone's throw from Tower Bridge, Sheila Ebana arrives as the special guest at an event titled as a Christmas Sports Dinner Gala Party.
Sheila, who was born in Equatorial Guinea, is the mother of Lamine Yamal and has 366,000 followers on Instagram even though she has posted just 19 times.
Yamal, 18, has a mammoth 39.2 million followers and was born to Sheila and Mounir Nasraoui, who is from Morocco. His parents separated when he was three.
Through Yamal's rise, Mounir's social media presence has grown and he has over a million followers. He posts and goes live on his channels regularly and is often in the headlines whereas Sheila, 35, is known to keep a low profile. Until now.
Less than an hour after she arrives, the guests are in a conga line with Sheila near the front dancing around the auditorium.
Daily Mail Sport reporter Aadam Patel sat with Lamine Yamal's mother, Sheila, in London
Jennifer Crook (left) and Aadam Patel pose with Sheila at an unusual evening event
'Don't miss the chance to meet the mother of the best footballer in the world', reads the invitation to the party.
For Daily Mail Sport, it's a night on the VIP package with tickets priced at £313 including a premium table at the dinner, unlimited drinks and a photo opportunity with Sheila.
The dress code is: 'Black Tie, but no rules - guests are welcome to dress in any style they feel comfortable.' That's a first. Punters are told to 'Get ready to mingle with Sheila Ebana – mum of one of the best footballers in the world at the ultimate JEN C Events Xmas bash.'
Dressed in a floor-length black gown with a dramatic, multi-coloured ruffled neckline, Sheila is introduced by Jennifer Crook, who is the woman behind the company called Jen C Events.
On first thoughts, Sheila seems shy and certainly not someone who is used to being the focal point of an event. She smiles, greets everyone and takes pictures on the red carpet with guests. She tells me that it's her first time in 'Londres' (London). It's an in and out visit specifically for this event. with her flying back to Barcelona on Saturday, before planning to watch Yamal and Barcelona at Celta Vigo on Sunday.
I ask why exactly she has agreed to do this even though she is paid a fee for her attendance. Yamal's current contract sees him earn £270,000 a week.
In September, the Barcelona star said: 'My mother couldn't be with me much (when I was young) because of work, but she always made me dinner when she came home at night. I bought her a house wherever she chose; she's my queen, she deserves everything, and that's what I want most in this world.'
Sheila attended the Ballon d'Or ceremony in Paris earlier this year as Yamal came second
Some guests at the dinner had no idea who the guest of honour - Yamal's mum - was
The link between Jen C Events and the mother of the teenager who came second in the Ballon d'Or is Benjamin Zarandona, a 49-year-old who played for Real Betis, represented Spain at youth level, then played for Equatorial Guinea.
Through their heritage, the pair bonded and got to know each other.
Benjamin is the intermediary and was asked by the organisers if it was possible to bring Sheila to London for Christmas, with Jennifer keen to celebrate black excellence and celebrate Sheila's role in the rise of Yamal.
Her company specialises in planning weddings and she stresses that the night is about having a good time and networking.
Over Zoom, a deal was struck with Benjamin and it is made clear that Sheila is simply a guest rather than part of the organising team and has nothing to do with the prices set, with normal tickets starting at £130.
This event was planned to be held at Nobu in Portman Square before the organisers changed the venue to the Leonardo Royal Hotel. One Spanish guest tells me that he was refunded a portion of his ticket cost after the prices were lowered.
On our table, which is called Buckingham Palace for the night (others are called Westminster Abbey, Covent Garden), the couple next to me who have been invited by the organisers admit they have no idea who the special guest is. They're not the only ones.
It is odd to say the least and the reality is that most people aren't here for Sheila.
Rather, they are here as friends and acquaintances of Jennifer.
Out of a guest list of approximately 100 people, only a handful actually approach Sheila for a chat. She speaks minimal English and is willing to engage and very friendly but reluctant to speak in detail about her son. The discreetness is evident. But Sheila, who used to be a waitress, is relaxed and happily dances with guests.
'I'm very happy to be here and I'm really proud of my son. We're all so delighted,' she tells me. I'm then told she isn't keen on speaking much more about Yamal so the level of detail stops at that.
Sheila speaks minimal English and has shied away from doing interviews in Spain
A live singer, DJ and exotic dancers with headdresses performed at the glitzy event
It's a contrast from previous experiences with Mounir and a trip earlier this year to Rocafonda, where Yamal was born. There, I spoke to Yamal's uncle, his friends and others within his close circle who spoke happily about the boy wonder.
In Spain, Sheila has already turned down hundreds of media requests from radio, TV and the papers and despite being the face used to promote this event, the only words she says on the stage are a couple of words of gratitude in Spanish. There's no mention of her son before presenting an award to Minds United – a mental health football team who are also given a video message from Eberechi Eze on the big screen.
It might seem odd but ultimately this a glitzy event with a drinks reception, three-course meal and plenty of live entertainment including a live singer, DJ and exotic dancers with headdresses. Most the people are here to have a fun night.
Jennifer says her company mantra is that 'We don't do small, we do big' and that 'We don't do ordinary because we love Over the Top.' Only then does the random nature of this whole thing begin to make some kind of sense.
