After their older brothers at the 2022 World Cup in Qatar, the French hopefuls are attacking the Euro in Romania and Georgia, with dreams of gold. The band of Sylvain Ripoll wants to erase past failures, and finally win a European Championship Espoirs, after the only success in 1988, generation of Laurent Blanc, Éric Cantona, Alain Roche, or Christophe Galtier. The Espoirs will be able to count on many young talents, here are five to follow.
He is one of the sons of Lilian Thuram, famous savior against Croatia during the 1998 World Cup in France (2-1). The 22-year-old defensive midfielder currently plays for OGC Nice, after having worked for FC Barcelona and AS Monaco in particular. He is appreciated for his humility, his easy character and his game of chameleon, certainly perfectible. Khéphren Thuram took his first steps as a professional in Monaco, under the coaching of a certain Thierry Henry. The one who has always been considered “the strongest in the family” by his big brother, Marcus, had an exceptional second half of the season in Nice, under the orders of Didier Digard, his mentor. Dante, his teammate, praises his qualities: “You feel that he understands the game. He knows when to do things and that’s a very big quality. “For several months, Khéphren Thuram has taken a step, which has even opened the doors of the France team. His name, like that of his brother Marcus, comes up regularly on the side of Paris Saint-Germain for a transfer.
What strikes first in this left winger is undoubtedly his speed. The 20-year-old Lyonnais is a defensive blaster, especially when he is on his right side and overflows. He is also a versatile player who knows how to be on all fronts of the attack. It is however more interesting when it evolves on one side. In 2023, with Les Gones, Bradley Barcola scored 5 goals and made 9 assists. His coach in Lyon, Laurent Blanc, said of him: “He manages to easily eliminate his opponents thanks to his technical finesse and his speed. He has to work a bit in front of goal, have that killer instinct. But that’s what he does. The number 26 had notably offered victory to his team, at the Parc des Princes, against Paris Saint-Germain, on April 2 (1-0).
At 23, Pierre Kalulu has established himself as one of Milan’s essential defenders. Arriving as a right-back, he was quickly replaced in central defense by coach Stefano Pioli. He is a versatile and already particularly complete player. “At the base, I didn’t have these qualities of speed, relaxation and physicality. I was small in stature and had to compensate with reading the game, foot technique and quicker vision than others. Afterwards, I grew a little late, but quickly, and these physical abilities allowed me to expand my game and be as complete as possible,” he explained in an interview with SoFoot. However, in Espoirs, he plays most of the time as a right-back.
It is the magic wand of Lorient. The 23-year-old midfielder stands out with his above-average passing skills and technique. Enzo Le Fée seems to hold all the panoply of a complete playmaker. He can stay on his supports when his opponent loses them. Born in Lorient, the midfielder knows how to place himself to ask for the ball between the opposing lines and use his exceptional quality of passing wisely. He also does not hesitate to go lower on the ground to recover balls and direct his team. The Fairy has greatly contributed to keeping his team in the elite. With 6 goals and 5 assists in 35 games, “he has gained in maturity, consistency, impact on the team’s game, leadership and management of emotions and weak times”, declared his coach, Régis Le Broken, at the end of the season. Enzo Le Fée could join Rennes, but before that, he dreams of a title with the Espoirs.
The 20-year-old striker made club history on May 7 by being the first to score 4 goals in a single game against Lyon (5-4). The young man is already panicking the counters: 19 goals, 2 assists this season in 33 games played with Montpellier. One of the fastest players in Ligue 1, Elye Wahi is complete: precision, speed and enormous potential, the striker has everything of a future great. For his coach, Sylvain Ripoll, it is obvious that he is in the group: “He is a racy player, because these space-taking players who hurt the opponent in the percussion, the depth , and which make it go back, there are not many of them. And when I see the form of Elye, over the last few months, of course the selection needs his qualities. “A real phenomenon to appreciate during this Euro Espoirs.