Dayot UPAMECANO
Born on October 27, 1998 in Evreux (Eure) – 24 years old – 1m85, 79kg – right handed
Defender – 7 appearances
Path : Evreux FC 27 (2009-2013), Valenciennes (2013-2015), RB Salzburg (2015-2017), RB Leipzig (2017-2021), Bayern Munich (since 2021)
Results: Austria (2016, 2017), Austrian Cup (2016, 2017), Bundesliga (2022), German Super Cup (2021, 2022)
In the popular neighborhood of Madeleine, in Evreux, Dayot Upamecano kicked the ball from morning to night during his youth. At the July 14 stadium he was not alone, and in particular he played with his neighbor who was a year older than him, a certain Ousmane Dembélé…
The colossus didn’t have feet of clay, but it was still too early to hope to see him break through at the top level. Out on the lawn, this introverted child, handicapped by dyslexia and a stutter, hinted at potential. It is with the U14s, when the field has assumed its standard dimensions, that the transformation will take place.
The teenager, hard worker and also a sleeper, becomes an attraction in Normandy. And when he accompanies Eder Verrisimo to the North at the request of the Ebroïcien club, Valenciennes does not let him leave. And he accompanies him in training until he is 16, when he wins the Under 17 European Championship with the Blueberries.
It is by taking a risk that Dayot Upamecano will launch his professional career. Still a minor, he joined Red Bull Salzburg, where he quickly won in central defense after a one-year loan spell at partner club Liefering in the Austrian second division. The springboard is perfect for joining Leipzig, the other club in the Red Bull galaxy.
In four years he has grown, swallowed what the very high level required and has become one of the most versatile centre-backs in the Bundesliga. Eager never to swing, gifted with a reliable recovery, he was brought by his manager Julien Nagelsmann to Bayern Munich who spent €40m to lure him into 2021. Despite a rocky start, he ended up proving he had the stature to win to the disc master.
In the French team, the story is not yet so good. Feverish for her first capes, Dayot Upamecano still needs to progress in managing her emotions to reach the final level. His first World Cup could help him there.
