The Football Observatory has quantified the experience of the best players under 23 in order to determine who will be the next new players in the national team, and in particular in France.
Didier Deschamps will no longer be able to ignore his rise to power for long: an indisputable holder at Sevilla FC for a year and a half, defender Jules Koundé is the favorite among players under 23 to make his debut in the Blues this year. At least, according to the CIES Football Observatory. In a new study, the Swiss research group measured “the level of experience accumulated during the last year (minutes weighted by sporting level of employment clubs or competitions contested)” of players aged 23 or under, and being eligible for a selection in the top 20 of the FIFA rankings.
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We naturally find France, with Jules Koundé considered to be at the gates of the France team. It remains to be seen what the coach of the Blues will do, especially with a view to his next list in March. Behind him, the winger trained at PSG and now at Bayer Leverkusen, Moussa Diaby (21). Three Ligue 1 players follow: defensive midfielders Boubacar Kamara (Marseille) and Youssouf Fofana (Monaco), and Monegasque defender Benoît Badiashile (19), 15 selections in U19 but who has not yet worn the Hopes jersey. Koundé can hope to grab a jump seat for the Euro this summer, with Clément Lenglet’s bad shape in Barcelona and Kurt Zouma’s loss of speed at Chelsea. It’s hard to imagine a favorable scenario for others. The coach, Didier Deschamps, is not a fan of surprise guests at the last moment, and even less in a sector as competitive as the midfielder.
Koundé’s superb goal against FC Barcelona in the semi-final first leg of the Copa del Rey on February 10 (2-0)
But France is not affected by this study only through its selection. Lille defender Sven Botman (21) and left side of PSG Mitchel Bakker (20) are the two favorites to honor their first cap with the Netherlands. Botman, recruited from Ajax Amsterdam last summer, was called up by the Dutch team in November 2020 but he remained on the bench twice. Belgium also has a young growth in Ligue 1, with the defender of Reims Wout Faes (22), third player doomed to be called up to the Red Devils according to the CIES. For the rest, Spain impatiently awaits the debut of Pedri (18), beaming with FC Barcelona. But he is preceded in the standings by Marc Cucurella (22), a Getafe player trained at Barça and replacing with La Roja last November.
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