(Lyon)
Never mind that the attacking midfielder
has spent just 16-and-a-half years on
this earth, only made his debut for OL
in October – when introduced for the last
few minutes of a goalless Ligue 1 draw
with Dijon – and has mainly been used
as a substitute this season.
For the vast majority of French football
observers, Cherki is indubitably the most
promising young player in the country; a
teenager with the sort of extraordinary
technical gifts which come along once
in a blue moon.
Emissaries from the Premier League
and other top continental sides are
already on the case of the Lyon-born
son of Italian and Algerian parents,
as are Real Madrid scouts. And if therumours are true, the Spanish giants are
likely to find themselves at the front of a
very long queue. Cherki himself recently
admitted in an interview with OLTV that
Real was his dream club.
Anyone keen to see what the fuss
is all about should immediately check
out the highlights of Lyon’s 4-3 victory
over Nantes in the Coupe de France in
January. Every aspect of his performance
that night was seeped in pure precocious
class. Besides scoring twice and setting
up the other two goals, he was nothing
less than the beating heart of Lyon’s
attacking operation, always demanding
the ball, imaginative in his link-up work
and masterfully choreographing the
dance. He even found the time for a spot
of ball-winning and to serve as one of
the mediators when a full-scale brawl
broke out late in the game.
Two footed, hard to dispossess and
energetic, his number one asset is
a talent to effortlessly manipulate the
ball. He has no problem dribbling in thetightest of spots and can perforate any
defence with his feints, shuffles and
assorted trickery at high tempo. He is a
mature boy too, having quickly learned
that the rabid over-indulgence which was
his stock in trade in Lyon’s junior sides is
now off-limits in the first team.
A Lyon scout first spotted him playingin a local park and he has been on the
club’s books since the age of seven,
invariably competing with boys two
or three years his senior.
And football is a family affair for the
Cherki clan. His mother serves as his
agent, his father is on the service staff at
Lyon’s Groupama stadium, while his elder(Birmingham City)
Probably the most
accomplished
youngster to
come out of St
Andrews since
Trevor Francis
ruled the roost in
the early 1970s.
A box-to-box
midfielder, he
has Manchester
United, Chelsea
and Borussia
Dortmund on
his case.(Rennes)
Still only 17,
the defensive
midfielder plays
with the assurance
of a senior pro.
With an exemplary
touch and great
awareness, he
bears a passing
resemblance to
Dutch icon Ruud
Gullit when he
gallops forward.
Real Madrid and
PSG are admirers.JUDE BELLINGHAM EDUARDO CAMAVINGA
RAYAN CHERKI
MOST WANTED Teen Sensations
Cherki is the most
promising young
player in the country