Rayan Cherki

About

Mathis Rayan Cherki (born 17 August 2003) is a French professional footballer who plays as an attacking midfielder or winger for Premier League club Manchester City and the France national team.

Mathis Rayan Cherki was born on 17 August 2003 in Lyon, France and is of Algerian and Italian descent. His father, Fabrice, has Algerian-Jewish and Italian roots traced back to Bari, and his mother, Abla, is of Algerian descent, with her roots traced back to Biskra. Cherki is a Muslim.

Cherki is a product of the youth academy of Lyon, and is considered one of their best-ever prospects. He began playing with their reserve side in the Championnat National 2 at the age of 15. On 7 July 2019, Cherki signed his first professional contract with Lyon until 2022. He made his professional debut in a 0–0 Ligue 1 draw against Dijon on 19 October 2019. After scoring four goals in the 2019–20 UEFA Youth League, he made his senior European debut on 27 November 2019 in a Champions League group stage game against Zenit Saint Petersburg, aged 16 years and 102 days, in which he substituted Maxwel Cornet in the 74th minute of a 2–0 loss.

On 4 January…