If you want to see talented footballers in the infancy of their careers, go watch French football. If they don’t have a name on their back and sport a number upwards of 30, they are a product of the team’s youth academy and Ligue 1 is a land of opportunity for those willing enough to seek it.
With many famed academies and fantastic footballers coming through the ranks all over the country, it’s unsurprising that there’s another batch just waiting to come out of the oven.
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With that in mind, here’s a look at five of the best young players that are currently plying their trade in France’s top division.
#5 Adrien Rabiot – Paris Saint-Germain
After numerous occasions of being linked with a move away and even his mother butting into the conversation of him getting more football, Adrien Rabiot is finally blossoming into the starter at the Parc des Princes.
The youngster has quickly developed into a rambunctious footballer that plays best as a box-to-box midfielder, where he seemingly pops up everywhere on the field from in the hold behind the striker to right in front of his back four.
He has even played in a more reserved role when needed, as he displayed in PSG’s superb 4-0 win over Barcelona in the Champions League where he not only stopped them from creating but began the attacks from deep in the home side’s half as well.
With his recent full international call-up, there’s no doubt that PSG have a home-grown star their fans can cherish for years to come. Just as long as his mother refrains from getting too involved.
#4 Alban Lafont – Toulouse FC
Alban Lafont made his 50th appearance for Toulouse last weekend, just under a month and a half after his 18th birthday. Let that fact sink in for a minute.
Since he was sworn into the first team just over two seasons ago as a fledgeling 16-year-old, Lafont has not looked back and neither has his club, who have only seen him grow in stature and the cement his place as the first choice keeper in the side.
A superb shot-stopper with razor sharp reflexes, combined with a command of his defence far beyond his years he has proved that he really deserves to be the starter for Les Violets even from an early age. He’s on par with a certain Italian youngster as the hottest young goalkeeping prospects in Europe at this moment in time and it might not be too long before he makes a big move to a Champions League team too.
#3 Joris Gnagnon – Stade Rennais
A revelation this season for a Rennes side that keeps falling over themselves with talent coming out of their academy, Joris Gnagnon has quickly become their most important player for the side. While they are still gun-shy in front of goal since the departure of Ousmane Dembele in the summer, Gnagnon has entrenched himself at the heart of one of Ligue 1’s more sturdy defences.
Strong in the air, solid positionally and comfortable with the ball at his feet, there’s no doubt that the 20-year-old has all the attributes to match everything a top scout has on his list for a modern centre-back.
An international call-up might be out of reach just yet with so many other young, talented French defenders in his way, but the fans of the Britany club won’t care one bit so long as he continues to fly under the radar of other clubs.
#2 Maxime Lopez – Olympique de Marseille
A youngster who used to sing the name of others at the Stade Velodrome, it’s the name of Maxime Lopez himself that now rings out at the famous stadium.
The attacking midfielder had been expected to emerge for a number of years and after finally getting his chance this season, the 19-year-old has exploded into L’OM’s most exciting prospect. Creative, tenacious and with a great eye for a killer pass, Lopez was the ingenious spark that Rudi Garcia needed from the middle of the park to add to the attacking forces of Bafetimbi Gomis, Florian Thauvin and now Dimitri Payet.
If the biggest club in France, reinvigorated with a cash injection earlier this season, can build a team around this exciting youngster, they could yet challenge the big boys of Ligue 1 once again.
#1 Kylian Mbappe – AS Monaco
The crown jewel of the principality club, this teenage sensation has had the entirety of Europe salivating over his potential. Kylian Mbappe broke into the first-team set up at Monaco last season and despite still playing deputy behind seasoned veterans Radamel Falcao and Valere Germain this season, he has shone in any opportunity afforded to him.
Gifted with pace, strength and a real eye for goal, it’s unsurprising that he’s been likened to former Stade Louis II’s star pupil Thierry Henry. However, unlike the former Arsenal legend, he’s a more natural centre forward that can play on the wing rather than the other way around.
With 15 goals in all competitions this season, the world is really his oyster. As shown to a wider audience in his spectacular Champions League display against Manchester City, he could be a once-in-a-generation calibre talent.
