Thursday, November 9, 2023 at 2:50 PM • Wessel Antes • Last update: 3:53 PM
Warren Zaire-Emery is part of France’s selection for the matches against Gibraltar and Greece, national coach Didier Deschamps announced on Thursday. The seventeen-year-old Paris Saint-Germain midfielder, born on March 8, 2006, is the youngest player since 1914 to be called up for les Bleus. Zaire-Emery is exactly seventeen years and eight months old on Thursday, the day of his first call-up.
Despite his age, Zaire-Emery has become an indispensable part of PSG’s starting line-up. The central midfielder has already played 1,175 minutes for the Parisians this season, spread over 14 appearances. Zaire-Emery scored two goals and five assists. With his play, the right winger, who is only fixed in Paris until mid-2025, has quickly won the hearts of many football fans in recent months.
?? The 2??3?? Blues called for ?????????????? ???????????????????????????? ???? ??’?????????´?? ???????? ????
1st call-up for Warren Zaire-Emery??#FiersdetreBleus pic.twitter.com/IbIHZb80Jm
— Team de France?? (@equipedefrance) November 9, 2023
Deschamps is now also convinced. Zaire-Emery, who was part of the France Under 17 team last season that became European champion, may report to the main team of Les Bleus for the first time in the coming international match. During the past two international matches, Zaire-Emery was captain of France Under 21, which is coached by Thierry Henry.
For a place in midfield in France’s 23-man squad, Zaire-Emery will compete with Eduardo Camavinga (Real Madrid), Youssouf Fofana (AS Monaco), Boubacar Kamara (Aston Villa) and Adrien Rabiot (Juventus). The chance of playing time for Zaire-Emery seems considerably high, as France has already qualified for the 2024 European Championship in Germany.
Suleyman Ozturk
In a video item from Voetbal International this week, Zaire-Emery received enormous praise from journalist Süleyman Öztürk, who has already included the teenage talent in his Team of the Week several times this season. “What I like about Warren Zaire-Emery is that he often makes runs to open up passing lines. That’s what 25-year-old boys do, like John McGinn (29 years old, ed.) at Aston Villa. Zaire-Emery also continues to run, because he knows that he can gain possession of the ball in the next action.”
“Then I think: someone who is just seventeen years old and already realizes that… Gosh, I think that’s really crazy. Zaire-Emery doesn’t do it just once that you think: it could be a coincidence. Kenneth Taylor, for example, also sometimes does this at Ajax runs like that and the next time he doesn’t do it and you think: oh, he doesn’t get it… Zaire-Emery is Taylor with more technique, overview, speed and power. He is Kenneth Taylor times ten.”
Zaire-Emery broke a record in February when he was allowed to start in the eighth finals of the Champions League during the crackdown against Bayern Munich. At 16 years and 343 days, he became the youngest starter ever in the knockout phase of the billion-dollar ball. Zaire-Emery has now played 45 official games for Les Parisiens, scoring 4 goals and providing 5 assists.
2023-11-09 13:50:00
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