Patrice Evra has disclosed that his peculiar habit of wearing only one shoe in certain Instagram posts is a tribute to his mother, Juliette. The ex-Manchester United star opened up on his family and mum’s tragic health battle with Jeremy Lynch on PlutoTV. As the conversation veered towards social media, Evra was questioned about his unusual choice of not donning footwear on his left foot in some posts. In response, he said: “People ask me in the comments every time, ‘why is he wearing one shoe?’
“‘He doesn’t have enough money’ or whatever. No, actually, every time I do a video and I’m not wearing the left shoes, I dedicate all my videos to my mum. Because in 2010, I was with the French national team and my brother called me and said, ‘Patrice, you need to come to the hospital.’ He said mummy had a stomach problem.
“I asked the manager and the next day I went to the hospital. When I arrived in the corridor, everyone was crying. I saw my brother and sister. I said, ‘Wow, this is weird.'”
Evra then recounted the shock he felt when he entered his mother’s room and discovered she had one of her legs amputated. He continued: “Then I went to the room, my mum was on the bed and I kissed her. Then I sat next to her. It was only when I pulled off the blanket, that’s when I saw the left leg was missing.
“Of course, I went mad. I nearly killed the doctor for cutting the leg off my mum. I have never said this before because it’s personal, but it’s quite funny when you see it.
“But actually, every time I do a video, I just dedicate it to my hero, my mum. It was difficult at the beginning but my mum has her fake legs and she dances.”
Evra also revealed that his mother suffers from Alzheimer’s – a progressive brain condition that affects thinking and memory.
Nevertheless, he highlighted how she “stays positive.”
Evra enjoyed a glittering trophy-filled career during his playing days, before hanging up his boots in 2019.
The 44-year-old progressed through the youth system at CSF Bretigny in 1997 before joining Marsala the following year.
The Frenchman then had spells with Monza, Nice and Monaco before landing at Manchester United in 2006.
Under Sir Alex Ferguson’s guidance, Evra claimed five Premier League titles, seven domestic trophies and a Champions League, before departing for Juventus in 2014.
He represented Marseille and West Ham in 2017 and 2018 respectively, before ending his career in 2019.
He also earned 81 caps for the French national side.
