French team: Messi, 16 years old and author of a double with the Bleuets

Messi in the France team, it’s possible. Not the Argentinian from Rosario decorated with eight Ballon d’Or, but Rayane, 16 years old, born in Sèvres in Hauts-de-Seine. Tuesday, the French under-17s won in England (2-1) with a double from their striker Rayane Messi. A family name that does not go unnoticed. Enlisted at a very young age by FC Versailles, he joined Dijon in 2022 and has not yet appeared with the first team, currently 7th in the National.

Rayane Messi has no connection with Argentina. As told by the newspaper Le Parisien, his name comes from Cameroon, where “Messi” is a common surname. His father, Zacharie Messi, inherited this name “from his great-grandfather who himself inherited it from his great-grandfather from Sudan,” reports Le Parisien.

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Before he was 10, Rayane Messi tried judo without getting excited, then turned to football. He had already worn the jersey of the French U16 team (8 caps, 2 goals) and is now playing in the U17 (5 caps, 2 goals), under the orders of José Alcocer. The Dijonnais has "a sense of dribbling, percussion and manages to combine good technical and gesture mastery both when throwing and stopping", recently analyzed the coach, satisfied with a "very respectful" boy, who " doesn't talk much with adults but is one of the leaders in group life.

From there to making a career worthy of your name, there is an almost infinite path to travel. Rayane Messi, who is waiting to play his first professional match, is already training with the DFCO pro group. He should be there with the Bleuets at Euro 2024, scheduled from May 20 to June 5 in Cyprus.