Rayan Cherki Earns First France Senior Team Call-Up for Nations League

Last week, Didier Deschamps announced the group that will take on Spain, and there’s a newcomer on the list, Olympique Lyonnais’ Rayan Cherki, who earned his first call-up to the senior team. The OL standout will have a chance to make his debut after an impressive 2024-25 season for Lyon.

Cherki recorded 12 goals and 20 assists in 44 appearances across all competitions for Les Gones. The 21-year-old has played for France’s youth team, with most of his production coming from the U21 team, recording 13 goals in 23 appearances.

🌍 🇫🇷 Rayan Cherki is called up for the first time with the @equipedefrance A

Congratulations @rayan_cherki 👏 pic.twitter.com/RM7iAKZyiO
— Olympique Lyonnais 🇬🇧🇺🇸 (@OL_English) May 21, 2025

Upon learning his first call-up, Cherki offered his reaction as he will attempt to help France reach the final of the Nations League.

“It feels great, it’s the start of a beautiful adventure—I can’t wait to get started. Especially since we’ll be playing two big matches, so I’m eager to contribute and do my part.”

Deschamps also commented on the reason for calling up Cherki. He noted that this is a significant step in his career, and the player should strive to improve, considering his age.

“He always plays as part of the team. He has the ability to make a difference with his dribbling and passing. He’s mainly used in two positions: either slightly out wide on the right or in a more central role. He should keep his creativity and spontaneity by playing as naturally as possible.”

“This is an important step for him, one that will require confirmation... He’s a player with the ability to beat opponents and create. In terms of collective and defensive work, there are still things to improve. But the most important thing is what he can do with the ball.”

Along with Cherki, there are other Ligue 1 McDonald’s players. Here’s the rest of the French squad that will be taking on Spain on June 5:

📋 THE SQUAD FOR THE FINAL FOUR! 🔥

Here are the 25 players called up for the Nations League Final Four featuring fresh faces and some big returns 😄💙

05/06: Semi-final vs Spain 🇪🇸
08/06: Final or third-place match vs Germany 🇩🇪 or Portugal 🇵🇹#FrenchTeam pic.twitter.com/nZQp1rKKd5
— French Team ⭐⭐ (@FrenchTeam) May 21, 2025

Goalkeepers:

Lucas Chevalier (LOSC Lille)
Brice Samba (Stade Rennais)

Defense:

Lucas Hernandez (PSG)

Midfield:

Adrien Rabiot (Marseille)
Warren Zaïre-Emery (PSG)

Forward:

Bradley Barcola (PSG)
Ousmane Dembélé (PSG)
Désiré Doué (PSG)