Needed parents’ signature
It has been just 15 months since Warren Zaïre-Emery made his debut in the Paris Saint-Germain jersey at the age of 16 years, four months and 29 days. Since then, the central midfielder has developed rapidly and could become the youngest player in the French national team in almost 100 years on Saturday.
At 17 years, eight months and ten days, Zaïre-Emery would be ranked fifth among the youngest “Équipe Tricolore” debutants if they played in the European Championship qualifiers against Gibraltar. Only Jean-Marie Barat, Julien Verbrugghe, Maurice Gastiger and Charles Wilkes were younger when they played their first games, but these all go back a long time and date from 1905 to 1914. “If I can achieve that, I would be very happy.” he said at the press conference (quoted via “L’Equipe“).
In the last 60 years, only Eduardo Camavinga in 2020 (at 17 years old) and Kylian Mbappé in 2017 (at 18 years old) played for France before their 19th birthday. “It’s the coach’s decision. “I’m here primarily to help the team,” said Zaïre-Emery modestly.
It is not a given that the 17-year-old is even an option for coach Didier Deschamps. In order to be able to take part in the away game in Greece on Tuesday, he needed a signature from his parents. Since 2016, minors in France are no longer allowed to leave the country without the permission of their legal guardians.
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“I am proud and happy to be here and represent my country. I will give everything for France,” said Zaire-Emery, whose chances of playing have increased after Camavinga’s withdrawal due to injury. Shortly after the nomination, there was a conversation with U21 coach Thierry Henry, who helped him make his debut there in September. “He told me that it’s not just about being in the team, but also about staying there. That’s my daily goal.”
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