PSG’s Warren Zaïre-Emery is the real deal at 17. Here’s why،
When Paris Saint-Germain let midfielder Marco Verratti join Qatari side Al Arabi for €45 million this summer, it came as a bit of a shock. The writing was on the wall for the transfer throughout the summer, but the 31-year-old had won 30 trophies during an incredible 11 years at the club, was still playing at an extremely high level and looked like a tactical candidate perfect for new PSG manager Luis Enrique.
Despite this, PSG pushed it forward – somewhat ruthlessly, in fact. Was it a question of financial fair play? Has the Italy international had any injury problems that could cut his career short? In the weeks that followed, a more obvious reason emerged: 17-year-old academy product Warren Zaire-Emery was not only ready to step into Verratti’s shoes, he was ready to take on the world .
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An unprecedented rise
There is nothing in the modern history of PSG that compares to what Zaire-Emery is doing now. At 17, he cemented his starting place at one of the best clubs in the world, looking incredibly comfortable in a team filled with world-class players like Kylian Mbappé, Achraf Hakimi and Marquinhos.
That’s not to say that PSG haven’t had their share of successes within the academy: midfielder Adrien Rabiot broke into the first team at the age of 18 and impressed; defender Presnel Kimpembe did it too, although it happened in his early 20s; defender Mamadou Sakho was club captain at 17 – a Ligue 1 record – although that was before the Qatar takeover which sparked a new era of expectations and standards in Paris; while striker Nicolas Anelka and winger Kingsley Coman became superstars but were moved on before having the chance to firmly establish themselves in the first team.
The rise of Zaire-Emery is on a whole new level. He made his debut for PSG last August as a substitute in a 5-0 league win at Clermont, aged 16 years, 4 months and 29 days, almost a year to the day of less than when Rabiot made his bow. the youngest to appear for PSG in an official match. Then, in October, he came off the bench in a 7–2 win over Maccabi Haifa, becoming the club’s youngest player to appear in the Champions League.
Skills for success
A year later, the whole world is talking about him thanks to his incredibly successful performances in midfield. So how can a player look so good at such a young age?
The secret is simpler than you might think: putting aside Zaire-Emery’s obvious technical abilities for a moment, it’s striking that of all the 17-year-olds we see breaking through in senior football, few seem so physically ready. His body is compact, with a low center of gravity that allows him to stand shoulder to shoulder with players and bounce off them. He rarely falls to the ground or loses the ball and has an incredible talent for coming out of duels with the ball always at his feet.
He also likes to advance and break opposition lines. Among midfielders in Europe’s top five leagues, he ranks in the 82nd percentile for successful attacks and the 84th percentile for progressive runs, using his body like few others in the game.
PSG’s first goal against AC Milan on the third day of the Champions League sums it up perfectly. Vitinha played a square pass to Zaire-Emery, who was 15 meters from his half. Milan midfielder Tijjani Reijnders tried to intercept the pass, but Zaire-Emery moved his body and pushed the ball into space with a few touches to beat his opponent. Reijnders, looking to recover, practically wrapped himself around the 17-year-old’s back, but Zaire-Emery twice shrugged him off while darting 30 yards. He then lands a nice pass to Mbappé, who scores with a brilliant finish.
There is another element which is also important: Zaire-Emery delayed his pass to Mbappé until he entrusted Reijnders and Yunus Musah to him. As a result, this allowed Mbappé to attack the central defender one-on-one without having to worry about other defenders.
This is something Zaire-Emery does frequently. If you ever watch a PSG highlight and wonder how players like Mbappé, Ousmane Dembélé and Randal Kolo Muani stand out on goal, the answer might be that Zaire-Emery sucked up three defenders and sent the ball into space for his teammates. run to.
This combination of physicality, dribbling and passing is deadly and rarely seen in such a youngster at the highest level. But for Zaire-Emery, that’s only half the equation.
He already has a viable end product, with three assists in four Champions League matches, plus two goals and two assists in nine Ligue 1 starts so far. The first of those two strikes was a 20-yard thunderbolt against Brest, struck with venom after easily overtaking an opponent.
Zaire-Emery is also primarily in charge of PSG’s rear set-up, in an extremely possession-oriented system favored by Luis Enrique, as he is the team’s best passer. His typical midfield partner, Manuel Ugarte, is more of a fighter and tackler, while goalkeeper Gianluigi Donnarumma is not a natural with the ball at his feet, putting pressure on the teenager to assumes responsibility for the ball in deeper areas. As a result, there have been a few giveaways in dangerous areas, but that’s the risk/reward ratio that top clubs accept when playing this style.
In these deeper areas, he looks a bit like the legend he replaced, willing to take the ball anywhere on the pitch from virtually any angle, just like Verratti did year after year. The difference is that Zaire-Emery is built more like a 16-year-old Wayne Rooney, blending in the strength to bounce off tacklers in a way that Verratti never could.
“Sky is the limit”
When you see a 17-year-old impressing not only on the Ligue 1 stage, but also against Newcastle and AC Milan in the Champions League, it creates real excitement for what is to come.
“The way Warren Zaire-Emery plays, it’s just not normal to run the show [for a] “He was 17 years old,” Arsenal and France legend Thierry Henry, France Under-21 coach, told CBS Sports last month. “He was the only one who held on. [in a 4-1 defeat against Newcastle] at St James Park. He has been magnificent in this moment. Sky is the limit. I have never seen a player so young be so mature. This guy has no limits, for me.”
It takes years for most players to compile the abilities they have and forge them into a complete skill set. In addition, he has his feet on the ground and seems surrounded by good people and a strong family unit.
“Warren is a diamond,” Luis Enrique said in a press conference ahead of the second leg against Milan. “He’s still young so naturally there are still things to improve. He plays in relationship with his teammates. He knows where to go on the pitch, that’s the sign of a great player. It’s easy to see to train a player like him. with his innate characteristics. His greatest quality is his humility. He is 17 years old. That comes from his upbringing I think and his parents.”
