SportsTalk March 28th (local time) On Tuesday, French teenager Rayane Messi scored twice against England, helping the French U17 team win the first place in the group. The first place will advance to the main round of the 2024 U17 European Championship. The 16-year-old Dijon striker has yet to officially start his senior career, but has become one of the most promising young talents in French football.
Two months later, the French U17 national team will cross the Mediterranean. On Tuesday, the French U17 representative team won 2 to 1. After defeating the England team, they successfully qualified for the 2024 U17 European Championship to be held in Cyprus from May 20 to June 5. Jose Alcocer’s team has already secured a qualification in this game. The victory against England allowed them to advance to the main draw as the first in the group.
Rayane Messi is the driving force behind their success at St George’s Park in Burton upon Trent in central England On the court, the 16-year-old forward scored twice in the game (including a penalty kick). The Dijon player took advantage of France’s lengthy numerical advantage (England’s Christopher Rigg was sent off in the 25th minute) and showed off his potential on English soil.
Not related to Lionel Messi
Rayane Messi’s full name is Rayane Messi Tanfouri (Rayane Messi Tanfouri). He was born on May 23, 2007 in Sèvres (Haute-Seine Province), west of Paris. He started his football career at Chaville Club. He initially studied judo, and his technical ability and extraordinary physical fitness soon attracted the attention of major local clubs, and Versailles eventually signed him.
When your name is Messi andWhen he plays well, you have to be curious about him. But Rayane has nothing to do with eight-time Ballon d’Or winner Lionel Messi, or Argentina. His surname was passed down to him from his father, Zachary, who was originally from Cameroon and whose grandfather was Sudanese.
He is “the most talented player I have ever coached”
Rayane quickly stood out from the other players, Matthieu Merle, Messi’s former coach at Versailles, told Le Parisien , thanks to his strength and extremely solid footwork, which allows him to be extremely explosive in the first few meters and make a lot of difference in one-on-one situations. He is certainly the most talented player I have ever coached player.”
Rayane Messi is also a student of the Clairefontaine High School of Football. His outstanding feature is his ability to directly Get past opponents, be fast, have strong impact, be steady in confrontation, and be generous. In addition to eleven-a-side football, his father also had him learn futsal when he was young to improve his accuracy in small spaces and strengthen his cardiorespiratory fitness. Although top French clubs such as Monaco and Rennes were keen to open their doors to him, Rayane Messi chose to join Dijon in the summer of 2022.
Waiting for his professional debut in Dijon
The Dijon club played in Ligue 1 and was later relegated to the National League (the third level). Rayane Messi’s family is not worried about this: “I hope he can play in a In small teams where there are very few children, they grow up quickly and are taken care of. In big clubs, children are in groups and less attention is paid to them as individuals.” Rayane Messi’s father told Le Parisien explained.
Dijon is currently ranked seventh in the National League with 10 wins, 7 draws and 9 losses. Reane Messi’s contract with Dijon expires in 2025. He has not yet appeared in the first team, but has begun training with the professional team. While awaiting his first-team debut, the promising youngster has been switching between the Under-19s and the reserves, with Dijon playing in France’s fifth tier. This season, the France U17 international has played 9 times for the reserve team and scored 3 goals.
