Nowhere is more renowned as a talent hotbed than Paris — there’s a good reason why many believe this statement.

At the 2022 World Cup, there were 30 players from Greater Paris.

The next highest was São Paulo with 12, followed by London with eight; 11 of the 30 players were part of L’equipe de France, leaving an astounding 19 representatives from the French Capital playing for other nations.

Nine countries had a minimum of one player who had been born in Paris.

Les Banlieues of the capital have been the breeding ground for some of the game’s greats.

Legends such as Thierry Henry, Patrick Viera and Nicolas Anelka all grew up in the Île-de-France region.

Current stars Kylian Mbappé, Riyad Mahrez, and N’Golo Kanté also hail from the city’s suburbs.

The production line of world-class talent doesn’t appear to be stopping any time soon.

Talent such as Warren Zaïre-Emery and Leny Yoro have emerged over the past couple of seasons.

So, where does this talent come from?

Many point to street football, while others pay tribute to the world-famous INF Clairefontaine Youth Development Centre.

Yet, in between the raw nature of cage football and the structure of professional clubs, grassroots academies in every corner of the city aid players in their journey to the top.

In this tactical analysis and scout report, we will provide an analysis of three of Paris’ most famous youth football academies, which have gained a reputation for producing players.

Using Eyeball technology, we will focus on the next crop of talent emerging from these Paris academies.

If you like this piece, you may also be interested in our analysis of three top football academies from London.

AF Epinay Academy

Académie de Football d’Epinay Sur Seine is an academy based in the Seine-Saint-Denis district in the North of Paris.

They aim to help guide emerging talent in their area into the professional game, both in men’s and women’s sports.

They’ve certainly had success, producing players who have played in the Premier League, such as Tanguy Ndombele, Arouna Koné and Yoane Wissa.

AF Epinay continues to guide the next generation onto bigger and better things.

Some of their most recent graduates include 18-year-old Senny Mayulu, who’s made 11 appearances for PSG’s first team.

Tara Elimbi Gilbert has also made waves playing for PSG, making 11 appearances last season in the women’s Première Ligue.

One of the next talents to reach the professional game may be Kellian Ferhoune.

The 16-year-old has incredible versatility.

He’s been used as a striker, winger, central midfielder and centre-back.

Many of his qualities translate across these positions.

One evident quality that he possesses is incredible athleticism.

Here, battling for the ball in the air, he rises above his opponent to meet the ball with his head.

He then brings the ball down and shields it from an opposition player challenging for the ball.

Allowing him to drive deep into the opponent’s half before releasing a teammate.

His defensive capabilities are evident statistically, with him making 7.3 recoveries per 90 and winning 70% of his ground duels.

This defensive strength is undoubtedly a reason why Ferhoune has been used in a variety of positions.

Yet his technical quality also makes him an asset, no matter his role.

In this situation, Ferhoune receives the ball from the goalkeeper.

He drives forward with the ball at his feet and uses a brilliant piece of skill to bypass a pressing striker.

This quality in possession allows his team to progress the ball cleanly out of defence.

This is a must for all modern-day defenders.

His take-on success percentage is 77%, highlighting his ability to go by players.

Another 2008 talent from AF Epinay is Saydan Bertili Hochedez.

The AF Epinay coaching staff have proven their desire to develop versatile players through both prospects.

Similarly to Ferhoune, Hochedez has played both as a centre-forward and central midfielder.

Hochedez has proven his quality and clinical nature, most notably against Paris Saint Germain, where he scored a hat trick to help the AF Epinay U16 side secure a famous victory.

Here, during a transitory moment Hochedez playing as a striker takes up a brilliant position to exploit the opposition on the counter.

Positioning himself between the opposition’s two centre-backs, he slides through on goal and finishes coolly with a first-time shot into the bottom corner.

He averages 2.9 shots and 0.61 goals per 90.

His qualities aren’t just limited to his goalscoring abilities.

In this situation, Hochedez is playing in midfield.

He presses up high as the opposition seek to play out from the back.

Intelligently, Hochedez reads the trigger of the defender having his back to goal and puts the player on the ball under intense pressure.

He then wins the ball back and has a shot on goal.

Hochedez’s defensive statistics have been impressive.

He’s been successful in 82% of his defensive duels and has averaged 5.7 recoveries per 90.

US Torcy Academy

US Torcy is located east of Paris in the commune Seine-et-Marne.

Their men’s side compete in the fifth tier of French football.

However, they’re far more famous for their ability to produce players.

Paul Pogba and Randal Kolo Muani both attended the US Torcy Academy before becoming French internationals.

The flow of international quality players that the academy has produced continues.

One of their latest exports is 22-year-old Algerian international Anis Hadj-Moussa, who recently secured a move to Dutch giants Feyenoord.

US Torcy have also produced several exciting female players.

18-year-old Landryna Lushimba Bilombi has broken into PSG’s first team and has also been called up to the French u19 squad.

Currently, Noha Kader Tiehi is one of the standout talents at US Torcy.

The 16-year-old operates both as a winger and centre-forward.

His flair in possession will have certainly caught the attention of scouts.

Here, Tiehi is receiving a bouncing ball.

Sensing he’s being pressed, he eloquently flicks the ball over his opponent’s head.

He then drives forward and plays an outrageous outside-of-the-foot pass to the right winger.

His ability to control the ball while pressed is highlighted by his making 1.58 controls under pressure per 90.

Once in control of possession, Tiehi oozes confidence.

In this situation, Tiehi drives at the opposition’s right-back.

After faking to go outside, he explodes inside before unleashing a rocket of a shot that required an incredible save from the opposing team’s goalkeeper.

He averages an incredible 8.3 take-ons per 90, demonstrating his desire to beat his opponents.

Another exciting prospect from US Torcy is Hocine Achour Tani.

The 16-year-old can play anywhere in the midfield.

When operating as a number 6, he shows an incredible ability to deal with dangerous attacks.

Here, Tani is well-positioned in his role as a defensive midfielder.

He moves across as the opposition breaks forward to deal with an oncoming attacker.

He shows good strength to step across the forward and wins the ball cleanly.

Tani has proven his defensive capabilities statistically, as he has averaged 5.2 tackles per 90.

He also has the technical attributes needed to fulfil the role of a number 6 or 10.

In this situation, Tani moves quickly to support his teammate.

He has an excellent body shape that allows him to receive the ball and play forward within his next touch.

The way he did this so naturally impressed me, showing real quality for his age.

AS Bondy Academy

AS Bondy is another club founded in the Seine-Saint-Denis district.

Over the past number of years, Bondy has become famous globally for its ability to produce talent.

World-class players such as Real Madrid’s Kylian Mbappé and Arsenal’s William Saliba both developed at AS Bondy.

Other talent is beginning to emerge from the ranks of AS Bondy.

Kylian Mbappé’s brother Ethan has gained considerable first-team experience over the past couple of seasons.

At just 17 years old, he’s made first-team appearances for both PSG and Lille.

Centre-back Yvan Maye is also one to watch as the 18-year-old looks to cement himself in Inter‘s Primavera side.

14-year-old Nolan Dalmieda hopes to follow in the footsteps of Mbappé and Saliba.

The holding midfielder has the necessary qualities to be a top-class number 6.

Dalmieda can receive the ball in tight spaces and demonstrates an excellent ability to play in one or two touches.

Here, Dalmieda carries out a vital component of the defensive midfielder.

He provides an angle for his side’s right centre back during the build-up.

Despite being pressed intensely, he plays a neat one-two to overcome the pressure, which gives him the space to play forward into his centre-forward.

His passing stats are impressive, with him making 10.2 forward passes and 1.72 key passes per 90.

Dalmieda also has the awareness and athleticism to bring a stop to attacks.

This is clearly demonstrated in this situation.

Despite his opponent receiving the ball in behind Dalmieda, he works back quickly and uses his strength to usher the forward off the ball.

He averages an impressive 9.2 recoveries per 90.

14-year-old Jalil Douazi is another exciting talent in the AS Bondy youth system.

Playing both at right back and left back, Douazi has many exciting qualities.

As with every full-back, he has the capability to get forward.

His incredibly quick feet help him outplay his opponents in various situations.

Here, Douazi picks the ball up on the edge of his opponent’s area.

After going by one opponent, he performs a beautiful flick to find a teammate on the edge of the box, who fires the ball just over the crossbar.

He averages 6.1 take-ons per 90.

Not only can he move quickly, but he also has the capability to work back and carry out his defensive duties.

In this situation, Douazi’s flank is being attacked.

He remains high up the pitch after his side’s attack.

He quickly works back and makes a challenge, stopping the opposition’s promising attack.

Douazi has a success rate of 70% for tackles made.

Conclusion

From this article, it’s clear that Paris won’t be failing to produce world-class players anytime soon.

Academies and amateur clubs have done an incredible job nurturing talent in their area, pushing them onto the professional game and, in many cases, the heights of international football.

The future of French football continues to look bright.