The French championship remains a formidable breeding ground for young talents for world football. A nugget came to light again recently.
The terms obviously call for caution, but given the story of Tiémoué Bakayoko, they cannot go unnoticed. Having played for AS Monaco during his career, the FC Lorient defensive midfielder has long worked alongside a certain Kylian Mbappé. Better still, Bakayoko even saw the Bondy prodigy blossom alongside him on the Rock.
Tiémoué Bakayoko is therefore well placed to draw comparisons between the best French player and the championship hopefuls. Eli Junior Kroupi, his young 17-year-old teammate at Lorient, made a strong impression by scoring a double against Olympique Lyonnais this Sunday (3-3). Fast, clinical, instinctive, the young Merlus striker has a bright future according to Bakayoko.
“ It’s a phenomenon. He reminds me a little of Kylian Mbappé in his playing maturity. He does everything very quickly. He already has good stats for a young person of his age (three goals) », blurted Bakayoko.« It’s incredible. We must protect him. We have to give him time to toughen up a little but if he continues like this, we have a future Kylian Mbappé (laughs). He brings a lot to the team. His goals will lead to others. He’s only 17, let’s be calm. He’s a good boy », concluded the former French international.
