French unveil youngest star

– After watching from the sidelines as Kylian Mbappe earned France a 1-0 win in Sweden over the weekend, Eduardo Camavinga (above) eclipsed even the Paris Saint-Germain star on Tuesday as he became the country’s youngest player since 1914 against Croatia.

Camavinga, aged 17 years and nine months, replaced N’Golo Kante in the second half of a 4-2 victory – an identical repeat of the 2018 World Cup final – in France’s first home international since an unconvincing win over Moldova last November.

In doing so the Angolan-born teenager beat the post-World War II record set in 1955 by Maryan Wisnieski, aged 18 years and two months, and Mbappe who made his France debut in 2017 at 18 years and three months.

Only Julien Verbrugghe, aged 16 years and 10 months in 1906, and Maurice Gastiger, at 17 years and 4 months in 1914, appeared for Les Bleus at a younger age than Camavinga.

“He was very good. He brings freshness, even more so for us older players,” France captain Hugo Lloris said of Camavinga’s lively 27-minute cameo at the Stade de France.

“He also has this presence on the pitch. He sees the game before everyone else and on his first appearance he was able to have an impact and help the team. It was a super start for him.”

The Rennes midfielder shot to prominence during a 2019/20 season cut short by the coronavirus pandemic, having already written himself into the club’s record books as its youngest-ever player in April last year.

The global health crisis incidentally opened the door for Camavinga’s inclusion in the squad, named as a replacement for Paul Pogba, who tested positive for Covid-19 just before the list was announced.

“It’s early perhaps but he has the potential that will make him become an integral part of this team sooner or later,” said coach Didier Deschamps, who made a rare promise to give Camavinga playing time after announcing his call-up.

“May he keep his natural style and stay as he is,” Deschamps urged.

Camavinga, who moved to France aged two with his Congolese parents and only acquired French nationality in November, is adamant he will stay at Rennes this season despite interest from Europe’s top clubs, notably Real Madrid. Rennes finished third in Ligue 1 last term. – AFP