Rayane Messi Tanfouri

Rayane Messi Tanfouri

Personal information
Date of birth	(2007-05-23) 23 May 2007 (age 16)
Place of birth	Sèvres, France
Position(s)	Left winger
Team information
Current team	Dijon
Number	36
Youth career
2015–2017	Chaville
2017–2022	Versailles
2022–2024	Dijon
Senior career*
Years	Team	Apps	(Gls)
2023–	Dijon B	9	(3)
2024–	Dijon	4	(1)
International career‡
2022–2023	France U16	8	(2)
2023–	France U17	8	(4)
*Club domestic league appearances and goals, correct as of 4 May 2024 ‡ National team caps and goals, correct as of 26 March 2024

Rayane Messi Tanfouri (born 23 May 2007) is a French footballer who plays as a left winger for Dijon.

Early life

Messi Tanfouri was born in Sèvres, Hauts-de-Seine in the Paris suburbs area. His father, Zacharie Messi Tanfouri is a Cameroonian of Sudanese descent while his mother is Tunisian. He took his first footballing steps by joining local side FC Chaville in 2015. Alongside football, his father also enrolled him in futsal when he was younger to improve his accuracy in tight spaces and increase his cardio. As a result, Messi Tanfouri displayed technical ease and had above-average physical abilities, which quickly caught the eye of the big teams in the region. As a result, he left Chaville in 2017 and joined FC Versailles. ^{[1] [2] [3]}

In 2020, Messi Tanfouri moved to the Clairefontaine academy, showing impressive technical qualities leading to numerous French clubs attempting to sign him. In 2022, at the age of 14, he chose to join the youth academy of Dijon, signing a three-year contract. ^{[2] [3]}

Club career

Impressing in the youth ranks, Messi Tanfouri was promoted to Dijon's reserves side and made his Championnat National 3 debut in August 2023 at the age of 16. On 5 April 2024, he made his first senior debut with Dijon, coming in as a substitute in the clubs 0–2 defeat against his former team Versailles. At 16 years old, 10 months and 13 days, he became the youngest player to have played for Dijon. ^{[4] [5]} A week later, he appeared again for Dijon as a substitute and scored the only goal for the match to bring his team a 1–0 victory against Orléans. The goal made him the youngest goalscorer in Dijon's history. ^{[6] [7]}

International career

Messi Tanfouri is a youth international for France, having played for the under-16s and under-17s. In March 2024, he scored a brace to help France U17 win 2–1 against England as part of the Euro U17 Elite Round, thus qualify his team to the final tournament. ^{[8] [9]} Two months after, he was selected in France U17's squad for the Euro U17. ^[10]

Playing style

Messi Tanfouri's coach at Versailles Matthieu Merle praised him for “his strength, his explosiveness and his ability to make differences in one-on-one situations”. ^{[1] [3]}

References

1. "« Le joueur le plus talentueux que j'ai eu » : Rayane, l'autre Messi promis à un grand avenir" (in French). Le Parisien. 10 February 2024.
2. "UN MESSI CHEZ LES BLEUS? RAYANE MESSI, LE JEUNE CRACK QUI FLAMBE AVEC L'ÉQUIPE DE FRANCE U17" (in French). RMC Sport. 27 March 2024.
3. "Football. Qui est Rayane Messi, le prodige qui se fait un nom en équipe de France U17 ?" (in French). Ouest France. 27 March 2024.
4. "Expatriés : Un Messi tunisien" (in French). La Presse Tunisien. 8 April 2024.
5. "Dijon : un record pour Messi" (in French). Foot Mercato. 7 April 2024.
6. "Dijon : la pépite Rayane Messi entre dans l'histoire" (in French). Foot Mercato. 13 April 2024.
7. "Dijon : Rayane Messi entre dans l'histoire du club à 16 ans" (in French). Orange Sports. 13 April 2024.
8. "DFCO : Rayane Messi encore décisif avec l'Equipe de France U17, bientôt avec les pros en National ?" (in French). France Bleu. 27 March 2024.
9. "Messi qualifie la France pour l'Euro U17" (in French). So Foot. 27 March 2024.
10. "La liste pour l'Euro U17" (in French). Fédération Française de Football. 7 May 2024. Retrieved 8 May 2024.

External links

• Rayane Messi Tanfouri at Soccerway
• Rayane Messi Tanfouri at the French Football Federation (in French)