Rayane Messi
| Personal information | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Full name | Rayane Messi Tanfouri | ||
| Date of birth | 23 May 2007 | ||
| Place of birth | Sèvres, France | ||
| Height | 1.75 m (5 ft 9 in) | ||
| Position(s) | Left winger | ||
| Team information | |||
Current team | Strasbourg | ||
| Number | 47 | ||
| Youth career | |||
| 2015–2017 | Chaville | ||
| 2017–2022 | Versailles | ||
| 2022–2024 | Dijon | ||
| Senior career* | |||
| Years | Team | Apps | (Gls) |
| 2023–2024 | Dijon B | 9 | (3) |
| 2024 | Dijon | 4 | (1) |
| 2024– | Strasbourg | 0 | (0) |
| 2024– | Strasbourg B | 3 | (0) |
| International career‡ | |||
| 2022–2023 | France U16 | 8 | (2) |
| 2023– | France U17 | 11 | (4) |
|
*Club domestic league appearances and goals, correct as of 20 October 2024 ‡ National team caps and goals, correct as of 27 May 2024 | |||
Rayane Messi Tanfouri (born 23 May 2007) is a French footballer who plays as a left winger for Ligue 1 club Strasbourg.
In 2024, Messi was named by English newspaper The Guardian as one of the best players born in 2007 worldwide.[1]
Early life
[edit]Messi was born in Sèvres, Hauts-de-Seine in the Paris suburbs area. His father, Zacharie Messi Tanfouri is a Cameroonian of Sudanese descent while his mother is Tunisian. He took his first footballing steps by joining local side FC Chaville in 2015. Alongside football, his father also enrolled him in futsal when he was younger to improve his accuracy in tight spaces and increase his cardio. As a result, Messi displayed technical ease and had above-average physical abilities, which quickly caught the eye of the big teams in the region. As a result, he left Chaville in 2017 and joined FC Versailles.[2][3][4]
In 2020, Messi moved to the Clairefontaine academy, showing impressive technical qualities leading to numerous French clubs attempting to sign him. In 2022, at the age of 14, he chose to join the youth academy of Dijon, signing a three-year contract.[3][4]
Club career
[edit]Dijon
[edit]Impressing in the youth ranks, Messi was promoted to Dijon's reserves side and made his Championnat National 3 debut in August 2023 at the age of 16. On 5 April 2024, he made his first senior debut with Dijon, coming in as a substitute in the clubs 0–2 defeat against his former team Versailles. At 16 years old, 10 months and 13 days, he became the youngest player to have played for Dijon.[5][6] A week later, he appeared again for Dijon as a substitute and scored the only goal for the match to bring his team a 1–0 victory against Orléans. The goal made him the youngest goalscorer in Dijon's history.[7][8]
Strasbourg
[edit]On 14 August 2024, Messi signed for Ligue 1 club Strasbourg on a three-year deal.[9]
International career
[edit]Messi is a youth international for France, having played for the under-16s and under-17s. In March 2024, he scored a brace to help France U17 win 2–1 against England as part of the Euro U17 Elite Round, thus qualify his team to the final tournament.[10][11] Two months after, he was selected in France U17's squad for the Euro U17.[12]
Playing style
[edit]Messi's coach at Versailles, Matthieu Merle, praised him for “his strength, his explosiveness and his ability to make differences in one-on-one situations”.[2][4]
References
[edit]- ^ Christenson, Marcus; Bloor, Steven; Blight, Garry (15 October 2024). "Next Generation 2024: 60 of the best young talents in world football". theguardian.com. Retrieved 15 October 2024.
- ^ a b "" Le joueur le plus talentueux que j'ai eu " : Rayane, l'autre Messi promis à un grand avenir" (in French). Le Parisien. 10 February 2024.
- ^ a b "UN MESSI CHEZ LES BLEUS? RAYANE MESSI, LE JEUNE CRACK QUI FLAMBE AVEC L'ÉQUIPE DE FRANCE U17" (in French). RMC Sport. 27 March 2024.
- ^ a b c "Football. Qui est Rayane Messi, le prodige qui se fait un nom en équipe de France U17 ?" (in French). Ouest France. 27 March 2024.
- ^ "Expatriés : Un Messi tunisien" (in French). La Presse Tunisien. 8 April 2024.
- ^ "Dijon : un record pour Messi" (in French). Foot Mercato. 7 April 2024.
- ^ "Dijon : la pépite Rayane Messi entre dans l'histoire" (in French). Foot Mercato. 13 April 2024.
- ^ "Dijon : Rayane Messi entre dans l'histoire du club à 16 ans" (in French). Orange Sports. 13 April 2024.
- ^ "Rayane Messi signe au Racing" (in French). RC Strasbourg Alsace. 14 August 2024. Retrieved 14 August 2024.
- ^ "DFCO : Rayane Messi encore décisif avec l'Equipe de France U17, bientôt avec les pros en National ?" (in French). France Bleu. 27 March 2024.
- ^ "Messi qualifie la France pour l'Euro U17" (in French). So Foot. 27 March 2024.
- ^ "La liste pour l'Euro U17" (in French). Fédération Française de Football. 7 May 2024. Retrieved 8 May 2024.
External links
[edit]- Rayane Messi at Soccerway
- Rayane Messi at the French Football Federation (in French)
- 2007 births
- Living people
- People from Sèvres
- French men's footballers
- Men's association football wingers
- France men's youth international footballers
- Dijon FCO players
- RC Strasbourg Alsace players
- Championnat National players
- Championnat National 3 players
- French people of Cameroonian descent
- French people of Sudanese descent
- French people of Tunisian descent
- 21st-century French sportsmen