Rayan Cherki has only had four starts this season in Ligue 1, including the last in Reims (1-1) where Rudi Garcia replaced him at half-time. – Christophe Saidi / Sipa
- Expected as the new phenomenon of the Lyon academy since 2019, Rayan Cherki (17) has just scored his first goal in Ligue 1, last Sunday in Monaco (2-3), during a decisive shock in the race to the Champions League.
- Before OL-Lorient on Saturday (5 p.m.), 20 minutes looks back on the career of the talented attacking midfielder in his training club.
- According to one of his former trainers in U19, Gilles Rousset, Rayan Cherki benefited from “harmful privileges” during his studies in Lyon.
When Rayan Cherki perfectly adjusted Benjamin Lecomte (2-3, 89th), Sunday in Monaco, we were all surprised to think that the Lyon attacking midfielder had “finally” released his counter in Ligue 1. Because yes, we would forget some almost that this phenomenon of the Lyon academy is only 17 years old, and that he has become the second youngest scorer in OL history in the top flight after Bernard Lacombe.
#MondayMotivation 🔥🔴🔵 pic.twitter.com/yQr4OqvHF7
– Olympique Lyonnais (@OL) May 3, 2021
It must be said that the signing of his professional contract already dates back to July 2019, three months before his first minutes in Ligue 1 against Dijon (0-0). It was therefore not until the 30th appearance (only 5 starts) in the championship of Rayan Cherki to see him find the net. But if he already has 6 goals and 3 assists in two Coupe de France campaigns, he clearly did not imagine having to wait so long to be decisive in Ligue 1.
“I was going to put two or three small bridges, and after that was going to unfold”
“When I arrived as a professional, I told myself that I was going to do as in U17, U19 and N2: I was going to play two games, score two or three goals, put two or three small bridges, and after that would unfold , said the interested party, Sunday sure Telefoot, just before Monaco-OL. But pro football is not like that at all. There are moments of doubt, and you can go from all to all in a quarter of a second. “A media outlet symbolizing the impatience and the great confidence in him of the boy, who hopes to follow Saturday (5 pm) against Lorient.
“When he joined the U19 category, at 14, Rayan was sure to be better than all the other players, and for him, he had to play,” says Gilles Rousset, assistant coach of the U19 Lyon in 2018-2019. But there are still stages to be taken. Others deserved as much as him to play in the Youth League, but from the pre-training, he already had a status at the club, and privileges that could annoy some of his teammates. “
“We were forced to play him”
Concretely, her first great European campaign until the U19 quarter-final, with a first goal then synonymous with a record of precocity, at 15 years and 33 days, in September 2018 in Manchester City (1-4), she said. been a major issue at the head of the club? “We were forced to play Rayan Cherki, assures Gilles Rousset. Our N + 1 [le directeur de l’académie Jean-François Vulliez] asked us because promises had been made to the player and his entourage. The club made him skip stages. At that time, either he could quickly train with the pro group, or he left OL. “
A clear choice at the club in favor of the one who announces that he wants “to be OL’s number 10 as long as possible”. His dazzling Coupe de France match on January 18, 2020 in Nantes (3-4), marked by two goals and two assists, looked like a real take-off of his high-level career. Except that the current season has most often been frustrating for Rayan Cherki, linked to OL until 2023, like his only two tenures, without brilliance, for seven months, in Angers (0-1) and Reims (1-1). Gilles Rousset has his explanation on this delicate period for the young ambidextrous.
Rayan has always played on his talent and he trained on his own. The club’s promises were bad for him. By training very early with the pros, he told himself he was ready to play with them. But Karim Benzema opened the doors to the professional world on his own at OL through his performances. Players like Alexandre Lacazette, Corentin Tolisso and Nabil Fekir had to build themselves mentally in Lyon, and he has not been there. “
Used to decisive goals in major events
Will this goal in the Principality be the start of a new chapter for the native of Lyon? In any case, Rayan Cherki chose the perfect moment to show off, two minutes after coming into play, synonymous with the Champions League race relaunched for the Lyonnais (4th at one point from the ASM). Being decisive in the last seconds of a hot match often been a characteristic of the young talent from Lyon, whether for a U17 derby in Saint-Etienne (1-2, 83rd), or for major successes in the Youth League in 2019-2020 against Benfica (1-2, 90th + 4 ) and Atalanta Bergamo (3-3, 90th + 4 then 3-5 on penalties).
“He is an instinctive player who loves the game and the stakes of major events,” confirms Gilles Rousset. He does not have the slightest complex, which can be a strength when you see how his gesture is relaxed on his goal in Monaco. He is able to try to pass a small bridge to Sergio Ramos like he did in U17 matches. “He has three league games left to hope to challenge good old Sergio for the first time, next season in the Champions League.