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A closer look at Ligue 1's Young Talents

The 2024/25 McDonald's Ligue 1 season has proven once again that this competition is the main source of young talent in Europe. Contrary to popular belief, this isn't a choice made by default, but rather the ultimate goal of a sporting strategy, one that often pays off.
E. DEVIN
Published on 03/26/2025 at 01:00
5-minute read
Ligue 1 McDonald's has placed full faith in youngsters like Lille's Ayyoub Bouaddi

The young talents aren't just building a promising future in Ligue 1 McDonald's ; they're also the present. In a previous article, we noted with that Rayan Cherki was only 21 years old, an age at which one wouldn't expect to already have 138 appearances in Ligue 1. It must be said that in our league, being born in 2003, like the Lyon player, is no longer enough to be at the bottom of the age pyramid. Several players who have not yet celebrated their 20th birthday have become regulars on its pitches. There's Désiré Doué (born in June 2005 and who celebrated his first appearance for the French national team on Sunday against Croatia) or his teammate at Paris Saint-Germain Warren Zaïre-Emery (March 2006). Others, even younger, are also making their mark, including Ayyoub Bouaddi (October 2007) or Djylian N'Guessan (August 2008) or even more recently the Rennes striker Mohamed Meïté (October 2007). It is thus not surprising to find the French top flgith at the top of the ranking of European leagues using the most players aged 18 or younger.

The youngest players in the top 5 leagues

This list of very young talents underlines that Ligue 1  McDonald's is a space where players have the opportunity to express themselves at an increasingly early age. The average age in major European leagues has been slowly but steadily declining for several seasons.

The volatility of the transfer market and the increasing number of substitutions per match encourage the integration of young players into the professional world. Thus, Ligue 1  McDonald's is the league in the European Top 5 where the starting 11 are the youngest on average this season: 26 years and 104 days, almost a year younger than La Liga.

The youthfulness of Ligue 1 McDonald's also stems from its rich talent pool. Top-flight clubs regularly promote new talent, and this is evident at a glance when looking at players born in 2005 or later.

Ninety of them have appeared at least once in the top flight this season, significantly more than any other league in the top 10 according to the UEFA index. In addition to the players mentioned above, several have already become key players in their teams, such as Guillaume Restes (Toulouse FC) and Valentin Atangana (Stade de Reims). These are not necessarily players who came through the club's youth system, but also recruits, such as Malick Fofana (OL) and George Ilenikhena (AS Monaco).

In terms of efficiency, Ligue 1 McDonald's stars (born in 2005 or later) are also proving effective, racking up 32 goals this season. Eliesse Ben Seghir (AS Monaco) leads the way with 6 goals (he has 12 career goals), ahead of Malick Fofana (4) and his teammate Ilenikhena (3). Only in the Belgian league do young players have a better total (35).

Strasbourg, a unique case

This emphasis on young players is not uniform in Ligue 1 McDonald's. One club in particular stands out in this regard: RC Strasbourg. Owned by the BlueCo consortium, which also owns Chelsea, the Alsatian club has placed an emphasis on recruiting young players, to the point of having only four professionals over the age of 23 in its current squad.

As a result, RCSA has repeatedly broken the record for the youngest starting XI in the competition (since this data has been available, i.e., 1947/48). Previously held by OGC Nice (21 years and 224 days in 2014 against Evian TG), the record is now set at 21 years and 171 days (against LOSC in January). This strategy is consistent with performance, with RCSA currently sitting seventh in the table, just two points outside the top 5.

In 2022/23, before the acquisition, Strasbourg was the 3rd oldest team in Ligue 1 McDonald's, with an average age of almost 28 among its starting players. In the space of two seasons, the Alsatian club has become six years younger – its 11 is now the youngest among the top ten European championships, almost two years younger than its nearest rivals.

Youngsters playING everywhere

Like Strasbourg this faith in young players is paying off across Europe. Of the 183 clubs compared in the rankings above, several league leaders are well-positioned, such as Sporting CP (8th), KRC Genk (10th), FC Barcelona (25th), and Paris Saint-Germain (7th youngest starting XI on average at 24 years and 36 days).

The two-time French champions have rejuvenated their squad, whether through recruitment (João Neves and Doué) or their academy (Zaïre-Emery and Senny Mayulu). The oldest player in the squad is now captain Marquinhos, at 30 years and 10 months old. As a result, PSG has the youngest squad in the Champions League Top 8 this season.

PSG isn't the only top-flight team in France to adopt this strategy. AS Monaco is in the same situation, with only one thirty-year-old in its squad (Takumi Minamino) and a recruitment focus on youth (Lamine Camara, Mika Biereth (a newly-minted Danish international), Christian Mawissa, and Ilenikhena).

Despite competition within top clubs, young players are expressing themselves just as much as in other teams, such as Ben Seghir (6 goals, 3 assists), mentioned above, or Doué (2 goals, 6 assists). A sign that Ligue 1 McDonald's perhaps illustrates more than ever Pierre Corneille's adage: "To a well-born soul, valor does not depend on age."

Read more:

>> Internationals: Rounding up the action in CAF

>> Kalimuendo at the double for France U-21

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