{"id":45360,"date":"2026-07-03T04:21:13","date_gmt":"2026-07-03T04:21:13","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/france\/45360\/"},"modified":"2026-07-03T04:21:13","modified_gmt":"2026-07-03T04:21:13","slug":"there-are-99-french-born-players-at-this-world-cup-welcome-to-the-beating-heart-of-global-football","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/france\/45360\/","title":{"rendered":"There are 99 French-born players at this World Cup. Welcome to the beating heart of global football"},"content":{"rendered":"

Get free access to the most comprehensive World Cup coverage in The Athletic app<\/a><\/p>\n

The scene is a room in Paris\u2019 La Chapelle district, to the north-east of the French capital\u2019s city centre.<\/p>\n

A big screen has been configured to show two World Cup games happening simultaneously on the other side of the Atlantic Ocean: France against Norway and Senegal\u2019s must-win group finale with Iraq.<\/p>\n

Space is at a premium. An outdoor terrace housing another six screens and a fan zone has already reached capacity, forcing many of those in attendance inside on what has been a stiflingly hot Friday when temperatures hit 40C (104F).<\/p>\n

France is in the middle of a heatwave but enthusiasm for the World Cup, and France and Senegal in particular, cannot be dampened.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

\n Fans in La Chapelle watch France and Senegal simultaneously (Patrick Boyland\/The Athletic)<\/p>\n

La Chapelle is known for its large African community. It was on the streets of Paris\u2019 18th arrondissement that many of the city\u2019s Senegal supporters celebrated the Africa Cup of Nations final win against Morocco in January, a result that would later be overturned by the continent\u2019s governing body, CAF<\/a>.<\/p>\n

Five months on, French fans here sing the national anthem, La Marseillaise, before kick-off in the Norway game and chant \u201cOusmane, Ballon d\u2019Or\u201d after Paris Saint-Germain star Ousmane Dembele opens the scoring. Those in Senegal green or white bellow the name of their midfielder Pape Gueye after his second-half double puts them firmly on top against Iraq.<\/p>\n

To some outsiders, the atmosphere may look curiously convivial. In Europe and North America, anti-immigration sentiment is on the rise. Polls have Jordan Bardella of the far-right Rassemblement National (National Rally) as the favourite for next year\u2019s French presidential election. Yet at full time, those in attendance in La Chapelle celebrate a crucial Senegal win that clinches qualification for the round of 32 with just as much fervour as if it were a France victory.<\/p>\n

Paris and the other major French cities are full of \u2018binationaux\u2019 (dual nationals). Double goalscorer Gueye was born in the eastern Paris suburb of Montreuil before moving to Le Havre on the north coast, while Iliman Ndiaye, who netted Senegal\u2019s fifth, hails from Rouen in Normandy.<\/p>\n

At least as far as this World Cup is concerned, France has become the biggest developer and exporter of talent globally.<\/p>\n

Ninety-nine of the players selected by the 48 competing nations for this summer\u2019s tournament were born in the country, with the Netherlands a distant second on 67.<\/p>\n

\"\"\/<\/p>\n

The Senegal squad has 10 French-born players, including Paris Saint-Germain\u2019s exciting young forward Ibrahim Mbaye, who made the switch from the France youth ranks last year. Algeria (13), Haiti (12) and DR Congo (11) have even greater French influence, while Toulouse-born Issa Diop, another former France youth international, scored the stoppage-time equaliser for Morocco before they overcame the Netherlands on penalties in the round of 32.<\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/p>\n

The legendary former Arsenal manager Arsene Wenger said in 2015 that he considered Brazil\u2019s Sao Paulo to be the world’s top breeding ground for football talent. But Paris has now assumed that mantle, with 56 players born in the city representing countries at FIFA\u2019s ongoing showcase in North America.<\/p>\n

The wider Ile-de-France region is home to 12.5 million people and is at the centre of it all. This densely-inhabited area accounts for only two per cent of metropolitan France\u2019s territory but is home to 19 per cent of its population, and also to large immigrant communities, particularly from the country’s former colonies across the planet.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt’s quite an incredible pool of talent in a relatively small area,\u201d says the French Football Federation\u2019s technical director, Hubert Fournier. \u201cThere’s a high concentration of players with very well-structured clubs. And then everyone draws from this Ile-de-France pool because afterwards they go to other clubs; they don’t all stay in Ile-de-France.\u201d<\/p>\n

Fournier points to a \u201ctraining system that\u2019s been built up over decades\u201d and investment in early grassroots levels as key reasons for France\u2019s success. He also notes the structure of amateur clubs has \u201cimproved over many years\u201d and that professional sides have followed suit.<\/p>\n

\u201cUntil recently, there was just one (professional) training centre, that of Paris Saint-Germain,\u201d he tells The Athletic. \u201cNow there are several \u2014 there’s Red Star, there’s Paris FC, and they have organised training programmes.<\/p>\n

\u201cYou face good players every weekend. This clash of talents raises the overall level of play in the Ile-de-France region, and it allows players to develop and improve.\u201d<\/p>\n

Competition between clubs and areas is fierce, raising standards and levels across the board. But Fournier, a former head coach of leading French side Lyon, also points to the \u201csociological\u201d aspect of immigration.<\/p>\n

\u201cThey’ve been exposed to different styles of football, which brings a certain creativity and produces players who are a bit different, like Riyad Mahrez (Algeria’s captain at this World Cup), (and French squad members) Rayan Cherki and Ousmane Dembele,\u201d he says.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe fact we’ve had this immigration for several generations means that not all young talents can play for the French national team, but because of their parents’ and grandparents’ origins, they also have the capacity to play for national teams.<\/p>\n

\u201cThat\u2019s why we have this number of players.\u201d<\/p>\n

Which countries are the most common birthplaces at the World Cup?<\/p>\n

Reuben Pinder and Joe Crisalli<\/p>\n

AAS Sarcelles is meant to be closed.<\/p>\n

Due to the late-June heatwave, the local municipality has shut all the club\u2019s facilities other than the swimming pool.<\/p>\n

Yet on the day of The Athletic\u2019s visit, local kids have scrambled over the fences to play on the Stade Riyad Mahrez, the pitch bearing the name of the team\u2019s most famous son.<\/p>\n

Boasting 1,500 players from under-sixes up to veterans, making them France\u2019s fourth-biggest amateur club, Sarcelles have a storied reputation when it comes to producing talent. As well as Mahrez, former France, PSG and Barcelona defender Philippe Christanval, ex-DR Congo full-back Herita Ilunga and current Cameroon international Junior Ebimbe also came through their ranks.<\/p>\n

Scouts from across France and Europe are regulars at games here. Midfielder Aliou Traore left Sarcelles for Manchester United’s academy in 2017 and now plays for Vanspor in Turkey, while the club are also into the fifth year of a partnership with German top-flight side Hoffenheim, which enables the regular exchange of players and coaching staff.<\/p>\n

The area on the northern outskirts of Paris is home to large immigrant communities from many of France\u2019s former colonies, such as Algeria, Senegal, Mali and Morocco. At the end of June, Sarcelles hosted their own version of the Africa Cup of Nations, in which each community, including those from other continents, participated.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt’s truly multicultural,\u201d says club official Nabil Chabane. \u201cThat’s what makes the difference. It’s this diversity. It’s rich.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe broadcast the match between France and Senegal. There were almost 1,000 people in the stands and we had to stop there for safety reasons.<\/p>\n

\u201cWhen France scored, everyone shouted. When Senegal scored, everyone shouted again. It shows that these two cultures are not separate. A real cohesion has been found. But we don’t realise it in France because then there’s politics.\u201d<\/p>\n

Sarcelles are heavily reliant on state funding and money from Hoffenheim. There is no scope for further expansion as it stands, with the lack of a sprinkler system seeing grass pitches become dust-bowls in the intense summer heat.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

\n AAS Sarcelles are one of the most famous amateur clubs in France (Patrick Boyland\/The Athletic)<\/p>\n

But their development system under technical director Mohamed Coulibaly remains the envy of many. One of Coulibaly’s acts upon joining in 2012 was to hire many of the best coaches from the area. As at other French clubs, players start with five-a-side and eight-a-side games before progressing to 11-a-side at under-13 level. Staff, meanwhile, boast about \u201cdoing things with the heart\u201d.<\/p>\n

Football is a way of life in Paris\u2019 \u2018banlieues\u2019 (neighbourhoods); both a pastime and a potential \u201csocial lever\u201d, to quote Chabane.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe always find a way to play, even if there’s a small square, a little patch of ground,\u201d Sarcelles youth coach Ibrahim Coulibaly says. \u201cYou can play with cans, juice cartons, balloons. Even when you don’t have a ball, you find a way to play.\u201d<\/p>\n

Mahrez was no different.<\/p>\n

\u201cRiyad would play a Ligue 2 match (for Le Havre) on Friday, and then come back to Sarcelles on the weekend,\u201d Chabane recalls. \u201cSometimes, even on the night of the match, he tried to come and play, but people tell him, \u2018No, you just played, you should rest\u2019. I\u2019m not joking. He truly had that love for football.<\/p>\n

\u201cEven when the pitches are closed, people still come to play. Sometimes that’s what creates that difference in these areas. It\u2019s about mindset.\u201d<\/p>\n

Particularly for those from Paris\u2019 poorer banlieues, there\u2019s a sense that football can offer a route out of difficult circumstances.<\/p>\n

\u201cCities like Paris are places where football is a powerful social elevator,\u201d says Fournier. \u201cIt’s a tool that supports both families and, very quickly, young talents. They feel that through football, they can also improve their social standing.\u201d<\/p>\n

Most of the best French talent ends up at Clairefontaine<\/a>.<\/p>\n

Fournier says the national federation has \u2018technical advisors\u2019 stationed in each Ile-de-France district who \u201cconduct the initial scouting searches\u201d. The best prospects at under-12 and under-13 levels are then called to Clairefontaine to play regional tournaments, in effect serving as final trials, before being selected for the main academy.<\/p>\n

Youngsters stay at Clairefontaine for two years, moving to daily coaching sessions, and the idea is to prepare them for life at professional clubs. Kylian Mbappe and Thierry Henry both came through that system, as did Morocco’s rising-star teenage midfielder Ayyoub Bouaddi.<\/p>\n

\u201cWhat we do is very technical,\u201d Fournier explains. \u201cThat’s the main focus. Then, preparing them athletically for the demands they’ll face in an academy.<\/p>\n

\u201cOur guiding principle is to equip them with a toolkit that is adaptable to a Spanish, English or German playing style. During their training, players should have a diverse experience that isn’t limited to just the first team’s playing style. I think this is also one of the reasons why our young talents adapt so easily when they leave the academy.\u201d<\/p>\n

Most of the best talent remains in the French system and goes on to represent France, but not all. Fournier describes Bouaddi\u2019s recent decision to represent Morocco as a \u201csignificant loss\u201d for the French federation. PSG\u2019s Mbaye and Senegal\u2019s Mamadou Sarr (now at Chelsea after coming through Lyon’s academy) are also deemed to have slipped through the net.<\/p>\n

\u201cBouaddi is a talent we’ve followed for many years,\u201d he says. \u201cAnd we know that in his age group, there’s no other Bouaddi. It’s a significant loss for our federation. But it’s his choice.<\/p>\n

\u201cHe went through all our selection processes. He had been with the under-21s for a year and a half. He understood that he was on the extended list. But we couldn’t offer him the opportunity to go to the World Cup right now.<\/p>\n

\u201cThere’s fierce competition within the French national team. As the World Cup approached, it’s true that Didier (Deschamps, France’s head coach) made the decision not to include Boauddi and he preferred to go to the World Cup with Morocco. The coach felt he wasn’t quite ready yet, while Morocco offered him that opportunity. I can understand his point of view.\u201d<\/p>\n

Morocco made a sustained push for Bouaddi, visiting the Lille 18-year-old and his family several times. They could also offer him an early route to senior international honours, as part of an upwardly mobile side. Other players who have switched allegiance from France could tell similar stories.<\/p>\n

\u201cI would say that our national team is very attractive,\u201d Fournier says. \u201cHowever, we are faced with players who have difficult choices. What has changed is that, if I take the Moroccan Federation as an example, it has become very well structured; they have a training centre (the Mohammed VI Football Complex near Rabat) as good as Clairefontaine.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

\n Ayyoub Bouaddi has become a key creative influence for Morocco after switching allegiance from France shortly before the World Cup (Julio Cesar Aguilar\/AFP via Getty Images)<\/p>\n

\u201cAnd above all, they and countries like Senegal have national teams that offer exposure on the international stage, allowing players to shine, because it’s a team that has reached the semi-finals of the World Cup (Morocco in 2022). Before, there was no comparison between the exposure on the international stage you could get.\u201d<\/p>\n

Players such as\u00a0 Bouaddi, who have until their first senior call-up to decide which country they represent, are often making pragmatic career choices. But there are emotional ties too. Fournier points to a \u201csense of pride in representing the country of one\u2019s father or grandfather\u201d as another significant factor in the decision-making process.<\/p>\n

When Bouaddi was selected for Morocco’s World Cup squad, he posted a picture on Instagram of himself at one of their games during the 2018 World Cup.<\/p>\n

While there is disappointment within the French setup about his decision, there is no bitterness at how things have turned out.<\/p>\n

\u201cNow, we wish him all the best,\u201d he says. \u201cIn any case, he remains a player trained in France and we’ll be very proud of him.\u201d<\/p>\n

The same goes, no doubt, for the other 98 French-born players named in squads for this summer\u2019s tournament.<\/p>\n

After all, there is more than enough talent to be shared around.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Get free access to the most comprehensive World Cup coverage in The Athletic app The scene is a…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":45361,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[2],"tags":[4725,26090,29677,191,5,445,4882,192,9795,189,190,193,21325],"class_list":["post-45360","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-france","tag-algeria","tag-cape-verde","tag-congo-dr","tag-fifa-mens-world-cup","tag-france","tag-ghana","tag-haiti","tag-international-football","tag-ivory-coast","tag-morocco","tag-senegal","tag-soccer","tag-tunisia"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/france\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/45360","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/france\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/france\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/france\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/france\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=45360"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/france\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/45360\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/france\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/45361"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/france\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=45360"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/france\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=45360"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/france\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=45360"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}