The Youth of today - Who are France’s best young football players?

UPDATED 2022: 4 of the best young French footballers: Rayan Cherki, Rocco Ascone, Hugo Eketike and Lucienne Agoume

Rayan Cherki - One of France’s best young football talents

Football is the most popular sport in France, with many talented French players.

In this series, we mark up-and-coming European talent under 23 with unrivalled potential, country by country. We have so far looked at the best young English players, the top talent from Spain, and in this piece, we focus on some wonderful French future stars.

France - a football pedigree

The French national team has a history of success. Some of the all-time greats such as Zinedine Zidane, Thierry Henry and Laurent Blanc have all represented France. The 2018 World Cup champions - second place in the FIFA world rankings - are defined by their past.

With rising talents such as Kylian Mbappe, Dayot Upamecano and Houssem Aouar in the mix, Les Bleus’ future looks incredibly strong. But these are names that are already dominating headlines. Who are the up-and-coming young French players that are lesser-known, with limitless potential?

After losing the 2022 FIFA World Cup Final to Argentina, will we see some of these up-and-coming young football talents at the next World Cup?

2022 - The Best Young French Footballers

Rayan Cherki

Beginning the list is an Olympique Lyonnais starlet; young creative midfielders have become a commodity in recent years at the French club, the likes of Nabil Fekir shun in his time in the city and the likes of Houssem Aouar and Maxence Caqueret continue to do so.

However, despite all of the excellent talent to emerge in the past, Cherki is touted to be the best academy product the club has ever produced and therefore is huge excitement around the Frenchman’s future, whether it be with Lyon or another top European club which is now a real possibility with the ongoing contract dispute.

Cherki has 12 months remaining on his current deal and could sign a pre-contract agreement as early as next January with a number of top clubs circling.

Cherki is a devastating player in the final third, his exceptional close control and dribbling ability mean he is extremely capable of making chances for himself even when defenders outnumber him, his flair is a quite remarkable feature.

The 19-year-old is also an excellent passer at a variety of angles and distances and is far from a selfish player, often his mazy dribbles result in big opportunities for his teammates. Cherki has played just 52 minutes this Ligue 1 season so far and has record two assists, which demonstrates the extent of his creative ability.

Rocco Ascone

The young deep lying midfielder is currently out on loan at FC Nordsjælland on loan from Lille and is a fairly good club to be based at in terms of development with the Danish clubs reputation for preparing top young talents for big European clubs.

Rocco Ascone is a tenacious midfielder who recovers possession of the ball regularly due to his energy and the pressure he puts on the opposition.

Despite his ability to break up the play, the young midfield possesses really impressive pace as well as stunning vision for his age, able to break the lines with ease and play balls into space for his teammates.

Ascone could be likened to the stylistic profile of Marco Verratti, being extremely well rounded on and off the ball, but his dribbling ability means he can be adequately deployed higher up the pitch also.

Hugo Ekitike

The new PSG signing is a genuine wonderkid that had top clubs across Europe battling for his signature. He eventually settled on joining the French champions on a loan with an option to buy and rejected Newcastle United’s newfound riches.

Hugo Ekitike is tall and powerful, as well as boasting explosive pace and dribbling ability to allow him to get in behind opposition defences with ease.

He managed 10 goals and four assists in the Ligue 1 last season with Reims and will be sure to improve on that tally if he is given game time this season alongside the likes of Lionel Messi, Neymar and Kylian Mbappe.

The only worry for the young forward’s development is whether he will be given regular game time in the French capital, as he has only been given 35 minutes spread across three Ligue 1 games this season. One thing PSG’s superstar XI have lacked in the past couple of years is top-quality options from the bench, Ekitike provides just that.

Luciene Agoume

The young defensive midfielder is currently out on loan at Troyes in Ligue 1 from parent club Inter Milan. Agoume has enjoyed a busy start to his early career, chased by many top European clubs while playing for FC Sochaux in France including FC Barcelona, but he eventually settled on taking the next step of his development at the San Siro.

Agoume showcases remarkable football intelligence for a youngster, his positional discipline and off-the-ball movement to sense danger is second to none for his age group, he has represented France at all youth age groups suggesting his coaches have viewed him as one of the best French players within his age group in every step of his development.

The midfielder is also effective in helping his team build out from the back, always offering himself as a passing option as he is fairly press resistant and can either but his marker or find a teammate further up the pitch, Agoume is very much a modern deep-lying playmaker that possesses the traits of an old fashioned midfield anchor in addition to his on the ball technical ability.

Previous Candidates from the class of 2020

Eduardo Camavinga

Arguably one of the most potent teenagers in Europe, Eduardo Camavinga has set the French Ligue 1 alight in the 2019/20 season. The 17-year-old Stade Rennais star doesn’t regularly appear on the scoresheet, but he also doesn’t tend to shy away from the dirty work.

The elegant, intelligent, exceptionally composed defensive midfielder has received plaudits for his outstanding defensive contributions. Camavinga’s statistics further highlight his excellent consistency at the heart of Rennes’ midfield: the whizzkid was averaging 4.2 tackles, 1.4 interceptions and 1.3 clearances in every 90 minutes of league football last season.

Likened to world-class Chelsea midfielder N’Golo Kante, the Frenchman is also a fierce physical presence in the Rennes team. With remarkable strength and stamina, Camavinga played over 2,100 minutes last season (25 league appearances until the campaign ended prematurely due to Covid-19), winning an impressive 1.3 aerial duels per match on average.

Eduardo Camavinga

After being trusted with a starting place in the first team last summer by head coach Julian Stephan, the Angolan-born prodigy’s value has skyrocketed. The number-18 has attracted transfer interest from the world’s top clubs including Real Madrid, Paris Saint-Germain and Bayern Munich. Camavinga reportedly has his heart set on a move to the Bernabeu. However, Rennes have insisted that the young sensation will not leave during this transfer window.

When the Ligue 1 season ended, Les Rouge et Noir were in third place, Camavinga’s emergence in the Rennes team has been crucial to that success.

Boubacar Kamara

The French conveyor belt of young talent has another new Ligue 1 star in 20-year-old Boubacar Kamara. The Olympique de Marseille defender has broken through to the first team in recent years, but only in the 2019/20 campaign has he truly stamped a consistent place in the starting lineup. Kamara - who is of Malian descent and still eligible to play for Les Aigles - has been consistently phenomenal under Andre Villas-Boas’ guidance.

Kamara is versatile, having started off his career as a central midfielder; he projects that experience into his current play, with the future star very comfortable on the ball. Kamara - also able to play at full-back - has the defensive stats on his side. He is rapid, physically strong and has an astonishing positioning sense and timing. An intimidating threat to opposition attackers, Kamara stands tall at 6ft, and uses his height to excel in the air (winning 2.3 aerial duals per game). With an average of 2.8 tackles, 1.4 interceptions and 2.1 clearances per game, Kamara would undoubtedly be on the radar of some significant European sides this window.

And - reportedly - he already is. The likes of Chelsea, Manchester City and Real Madrid are all said to be taking an interest in the £28M-priced wonderkid.

Les Phocéens’ number four has had limited opportunities with the French national first team, despite the young talent impressing for the youth setups - albeit 44 caps from the u17’s to the u21’s.

Kamara’s excellent displays have earned him the utmost praise from his former teammate Rolando: “This kid is a phenomenon. When he started training with us, he was 15 years old. And from day one, I said, no, but this little one is going to be a great player. He’s the kind of central defender I like. He is full of qualities and, above all, he works, he listens. It is out of the ordinary.”

And - reportedly - he already is. The likes of Chelsea, Manchester City and Real Madrid are all said to be taking an interest in the £28M-priced wonderkid.

Les Phocéens’ number four has had limited opportunities with the French national first team, despite the young talent impressing for the youth setups - albeit 44 caps from the u17’s to the u21’s.

Kamara’s excellent displays have earned him the utmost praise from his former teammate Rolando: “This kid is a phenomenon. When he started training with us, he was 15 years old. And from day one, I said, no, but this little one is going to be a great player. He’s the kind of central defender I like. He is full of qualities and, above all, he works, he listens. It is out of the ordinary.”

Rayan Ait-Nouri

Teenage ace Rayan Ait-Nouri has caught the eye of scouts from across Europe after some magnificent performances this season. The Angers SCO left-back - although he can operate further up the field too - made his debut for Les Scoïstes in 2018, but he cemented his place in the starting lineup during the 2019/20 campaign. The Frenchman made 17 appearances in Ligue 1 before he fractured his jaw in January.

At the time of the injury, the Montreuil-born talent’s statistics emphasised how defensively outstanding he was, despite a reputation as an attacking full-back. Involved with 7.42 defensive duels per game and with a win rate of 64% of these, Ait-Nouri is formidable. He made 5.41 interceptions and 2.07 clearances per game. Even though he is not the tallest, and relatively slim, he is good aerially too, winning 70.4% of his 1.8 aerial duels per game.

His creative play is also impressive, with Ait-Nouri ranking in the top 30 for cross completion percentage across Europe’s top five leagues, and across all ages - a feat higher than Canadian starlet Alphonso Davies. He has pace, he is combative, and he is strong in the tackle. Despite only having 20 senior appearances, Ait-Nouri seems somewhat precociously experienced.

With their team finishing in 10th place in the French top tier, Angers’ fans would be delighted with Ait-Nouri’s contribution this season. However, the interest in the young star is very high; chances of Ait-Nouri remaining at the Raymond Kopa Stadium are slight. Among the teams keen to sign Ait-Nouri are Leicester City, Manchester City, Manchester United and Wolverhampton Wanderers.

Ait-Nouri has taken Ligue 1 by storm this year.

William Saliba

The final French wonderkid on this list is talented defender William Saliba. The 19-year-old signed for Premier League superclub Arsenal from Saint-Etienne for a reported £27M last summer but was immediately loaned back out to the club where he made his name.

Saliba has drawn comparisons to Real Madrid defender Raphael Varane with his style of play. He has a large frame, is considerably fast and is physically gifted - Saliba stands at 192cm tall and certainly uses this to his advantage. The new Gunners’ number four is confident in possession - this allows him to drive into gaps in the opposition midfield and pick smart, intricate passes. He is also intelligent and can read games well. Saliba scans what’s happening in front of him and cleans up other people’s mistakes - as was often the case due to a reasonably weak squad at the Geoffroy Stadium.

William Saliba

Once again, this young Frenchman is versatile; Saliba can play across a back three and even at right-back but is most comfortable at centre-back. The centre back’s season has been disrupted with a metatarsal fracture and a hamstring injury, only allowing him to make 12 league appearances. However, in 2019 Saliba had started 13 times in Ligue 1, with St-Etienne winning 11 of those fixtures – a win rate of 84.6%: this is sure to excite Arsenal fans.

A hamstring injury kept him out until the start of October, but soon Saliba was having an exceptional season in France. In their six games after Saliba’s return, the French side conceded a mere four goals, keeping three clean sheets in the process. Saliba is a crucial asset. However, another injury affected the France U20 international immediately, with a fractured metatarsal leaving him on the sidelines until late January.

Saliba’s numbers in Les Verts’ Europa League campaign this season reveal his ability as a ball-paying defender. His passing is extraordinary with 58 passes per game in the competition, and a passing completion percentage of 92%.

The opportunity for Saliba at the North London side is one that would allow him to truly realise his potential, by playing in arguably the best league in the world.

That concludes the third match of our European tour. These players are astounding talents, and will probably go on to become legends of the game.

This is an original article by Charlie Rowan for The Sporting Blog`