Rudi Völler, sports director of the German federation, is pushing to naturalize one of the greatest hopes of French football.
This time, Thierry Henry did not hesitate. Although he had not called him up in September, the coach of the France Espoirs team called Mathys Tel for the October meeting. A great mark of confidence for a player of only 18 years old, who has made a name for himself across the Rhine. Recruited by Bayern Munich in 2022 for 20 million euros, while he had only appeared seven times with Stade Rennais in Ligue 1, the young striker distinguished himself in his first season with 5 goals in 22 appearances in the league, and has confirmed since the restart with 3 goals and 1 assist in 7 matches.
Henry already a fan of him
“When he comes into a match, you see himappreciates the Bleuets coach, interviewed at a press conference. Already, he is scoring goals. When he calls, he always faces forward. And even if he plays one minute, he creates two chances. This is not to be neglected, like his desire. Of course he still has things to work on, he’s young: working with his back to goal, control… (…) He already has what you sometimes have to say to an attacker: ‘You have to press, you have to make the races behind the defense, you have to be tough… He already has all that, and the goals. It’s still quite impressive, especially considering his minutes. »
If he obviously does not have the confidence to climb all the ladder to A, the future seems all set for the French prodigy. Could Didier Deschamps be tempted to call him up for Euro 2024? It seems a little too early, but the question may nevertheless arise to the extent that his new adopted country is pushing hard to divert him from the Blues. “He’s a great striker. We will definitely try to naturalize itsaid Rudi Völler, sports director of the German federation, in an interview with BildTV. But, in the end, it is the player himself who decides, and of course his family. »
Voller: “We will try to naturalize him”
“This should not be underestimated. Its roots are very Frenchadded the former scorer, European champion with OM in 1993. We all know we don’t have many top strikers in Germany. You have to make the best of it. » Does the native of Sarcelles, whose family comes from Guadeloupe, really have a chance of defending the colors of the Mannschaft? The entourage of Mathys Tel, contacted by The Team, did not wish to comment. But article 7 of the FIFA regulations makes his possible change of nationality highly improbable, at least in the very short term.
It stipulates that a player who started living in a country between the ages of 10 and 18 must have stayed there for five years to obtain authorization to play with the national team. In the case of French crack, it would therefore not be before 2027 since it arrived in Bavaria last year. Enough to leave a little time for Didier Deschamps, under contract until the 2026 World Cup at the head of the Blues, to see him at work and gauge his potential, which is obviously enormous. Between now and then, a lot can happen. In the meantime, it is with Thierry Henry’s Espoirs that the ex-Rennais will have to prove himself.
