Who is Lens' Mezian Mesloub Soares?

There is always a feeling of goodwill toward a player who has come through a club's own academy, even more so when their father once played for the same club. And Mezian Mesloub Soares endeared himself to the RC Lens faithful even further thanks to his all-important appearance off the bench on Friday night.

Mezian - following in his father's footsteps

Mezian's father, Walid Mesloub, played almost the entirety of his professional career in France. Across spells at FC Istres, Le Havre AC, FC Lorient, and Lens, he would rack up 227 appearances in Ligue 2 BKT and a further 82 in Ligue 1 McDonald's. A midfielder who played seven games for the Algeria national team, he would score just one goal in France's top-flight.

In his presence, his son would equal that tally in a mere five seconds. He came on at 78:12, the ball was put in play at 78:18 and by 78:23, the ball was in the back of the net.

16-year-old Mezian Mesloub scores on his pro debut with Lens 🤩 pic.twitter.com/FY3IdFwC1w
— Ligue 1 English (@Ligue1_ENG) May 10, 2026

With the ball put in on the left from a throw-in, Andrija Bulatovic then worked the ball into the box and to Mesloub Soares, who needed one touch to control and then another to sweep the ball left-footed into the far corner. A central midfielder himself, there is a suggestion that Mezian may not be the same profile as his father, as evidenced by his record for Portugal's U17 side (five games, one goal).

His goal was the quickest scored by a player coming off the bench in Ligue 1 McDonald's since 2006 and the second youngest to score in France's top-flight. That record still belongs to Cyril Cassese (Toulon, back in 1989, when he scored on his debut aged 16 years and 172 days).

Walid and Leca both proud of Mesloub Jr.

His father, Walid, reacted post-match. "I am proud, very proud. I was very emotional when I saw him called up and to then see that... I wasn't ready," he told Ligue 1 Plus. "I haven't even come to terms with it. He has been rewarded but there is still a long road ahead and we will do everything to accompany him."

Walid is currently an assistant manager of Lens' youth side and has therefore played a more active role in his son's development than most fathers. But it was also an emotional moment for Les Sang et Or's sporting director, Jean Louis Leca. "I started my adventure at Lens with his father, who was my captain. He came to our house when [Mezian] was just 10 and he has been 1,000 times since. It's really emotional," he said.

Mezian has already done something that his father did not, by simply playing in Ligue 1 McDonald's with Lens, never mind scoring. He will look to up him once again next summer when Les Nordistes compete in the Champions League.

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