Paris: Greatest Football Talent Factory

Ibrahima Traore grins as he parks his ebony Range Rover outside the residential complex where his football journey started.

He has returned to Pantin, a town just beyond the peripheries' north-eastern boundary. This circular highway is a dividing line between metropolitan Paris and its surrounding suburbs.

Surrounded by the loud noise of sirens and the smell of fast food, Traore enters and rides the elevator to the fifth level. Upon the doors opening, his brother eagerly awaits to provide a warm welcome, welcoming him back to their shared abode of yesteryears.

Within the space are photographs depicting the couple's Guinean father and Lebanese mother, along with images capturing the grandparents and subsequent generations of the family. The expansive sports facility, with two 4G football grounds, commands attention via the floor-to-ceiling windows, overlooking a dual highway and tramline.

"That is our Camp Nou, our Anfield," Traore declares. "Previously, we would vault over the fence at seven o'clock in the morning to hone our free-kick skills." Football was the activity that took place both before and after school. Exclusively football.

For several children raised in this area, consistent dedication might result in the ultimate achievement - a vocation in sports.

Traore, now aged 35, has accumulated over 250 appearances for four distinct teams in Germany's Bundesliga and served as the captain of Guinea for the 2019 Africa Cup of Nations.

His source of motivation throughout his formative years derived from the achievements in his immediate environment rather than from the television.

"Across the street, there was a player named Gabriel Obertan who used to play for Manchester United," Traore recalls. "It is a universal aspiration, and even more so when you encounter someone from your neighbourhood who achieves it. When you learn that it is feasible for someone from our locality to join a prestigious team like Manchester United, it becomes an irresistible ambition that you are determined to pursue."

At 4 pm, children and instructors quickly fill the pitches below. Aston Villa's Moussa Diaby, former Arsenal winger Nicolas Pepe, and France and Monaco defender Youssouf Fofana all began their careers at the same training facility, which is used by local teams Esperance Paris 19eme and Solitaire Paris Est.

At the grandest platform, the most exceptional individuals from Paris may be found in plenty.

For several children raised in this area, consistent dedication might result in the ultimate achievement - a vocation in sports.

Traore, now aged 35, has accumulated over 250 appearances for four distinct teams in Germany's Bundesliga and served as the captain of Guinea for the 2019 Africa Cup of Nations.

His source of motivation throughout his formative years derived from the achievements in his immediate environment rather than from the television.

"Across the street, there was a player named Gabriel Obertan who used to play for Manchester United," Traore recalls. "It is a universal aspiration, and even more so when you encounter someone from your neighbourhood who achieves it. When you learn that it is feasible for someone from our locality to join a prestigious team like Manchester United, it becomes an irresistible ambition that you are determined to pursue."

At 4 pm, children and instructors quickly fill the pitches below. Aston Villa's Moussa Diaby, former Arsenal winger Nicolas Pepe, and France and Monaco defender Youssef Fofana all began their careers at the same training facility, which is used by local teams Esperance Paris 19eme and Solitaire Paris Est.

At the grandest platform, the most exceptional individuals from Paris may be found in plenty.

"Furthermore, the majority of the pitches are diminutive in size." Consequently, they have a high frequency of ball contact. They acquire the skill of dribbling. Over time, players develop many skills, such as exceptional ball control, agility, quick decision-making, anticipation, defensive prowess, and high energy and focus levels. Furthermore, they want to get their livelihood from football. They possess the essence. When queried, their unwavering ambition is to become professional players, regardless of the sacrifices involved. "This is a challenging environment to live in. A significant number of households are facing hardship. The pupils possess knowledge about it and make maximum effort to achieve success. Developing a certain mindset plays a crucial role in distinguishing individuals, in addition to their inherent skills.

Sebastien Bassong, the ex-Tottenham, Newcastle, and Cameroon defender, began his journey towards football prominence at Deuil Enghein, a club in Val d'Oise, just north of Paris. According to him, football is deeply ingrained in the cultural heritage of those who come of age in the banlieues.

"There exists a particular mentality that is highly transmissible," states Bassong. "Having older siblings of greater stature posed a challenge for me to establish my reputation." However, people's perception of me significantly changed after I began participating in football. My existence started with the introduction of football into my life. I began to expand my chest somewhat.

Bassong's exceptional abilities led him to join Clairefontaine, a renowned residential institution known for selecting the most promising talent from the Ile-de-France region, at the age of 13, following in the footsteps of Henry and Nicolas Anelka.

"We refer to it as the epitome of football excellence," said Bassong. The majority of my football intelligence was acquired at Clairefontaine." If football is always on your mind, if you are deeply immersed in it if you have a strong association with its scent if you even sleep with your ball, and most importantly if you have acquired discipline via it, they cultivate individuals who become champions.

Individuals not lucky enough to be identified by Clairefontaine's scouts enhance their abilities in one of the global football's most significant and most fiercely contested non-professional leagues.

The Ligue de Paris Ile-de-France has over 1,000 clubs and a player base of 270,000. The organisation is of great significance, as shown by its presence in the picturesque Place Valois, located only a short distance from the Louvre Museum in the centre of Paris.

"According to the league's president Jamel Sandjak, who is of Algerian descent and used to play as a defender in the league before transitioning into football administration, some of the talented French players or players competing in the top European leagues have expressed that their training in the Ile-de-France region has greatly benefited them due to the exceptionally high level of competition."

"The majority of the France national youth teams consist predominantly of players from our country." Our regional teams have advanced to the national level. Scouts from other countries visit Ile-de-France specifically to observe players participating in our leagues.

The abundance of foreign scouts accounts for the significant presence of Parisian players in the Premier League, with recent additions including Liverpool's Ibrahima Konate and Chelsea's Axel Disasi. Konate visited his previous neighbourhood in Paris to reveal his Liverpool jersey, accompanied by an ecstatic mob that ignited red flares and cheered his name.

English teams have profited from the fact that Paris St-Germain, the only top-tier club in the Paris area, has historically prioritized investing in international superstar players rather than nurturing local potential. This stance had repercussions for them during their only appearance in the Champions League final in 2020, when they suffered a 1-0 defeat to Bayern Munich. The decisive goal was scored by Kingsley Coman, a player whom PSG had previously released on a free transfer to Juventus six years before.

According to Yves Gergaud, a former PSG junior coach who discovered Coman when he was nine years old, the young winger's departure from the Qatari-owned club was due to the entrance of Brazilian player Lucas Moura, who was signed for £33.5m to play in the same position.

"Business is the focal point," asserts Gergaud.

"For the past 15 to 20 years, their goal has been to win the Champions League, and they are pursuing this objective by recruiting exceptional players such as Messi, Neymar, and Thiago Silva. “Regrettably, they are still lacking a certain degree of essence.

"The presence of both the academy and the professional team, along with frequent changes in directors and managers, makes it exceedingly challenging to nurture players' development effectively." Indeed, it is accurate to state that it is possible to assemble three or four teams with players from the Paris area to compete in the Champions League.

PSG owner Nasser Al-Khelaifi believes that the age of ostentatious extravagance has ended.

The club highlights the rise of 17-year-old midfielder Warren Zaire-Emery, now a regular starter for France and his club, as proof that the academy and first team are well aligned. Gergaud is unconvinced.

He further remarks, "During my tenure at Paris St-Germaine from 2002 to 2007, there were already individuals expressing such sentiments.”

"Significant contributions are made within the academic sphere." The scouts excel at identifying highly talented young individuals. However, the absence of a reserve squad poses a challenge in promoting these individuals to the first team since they are confined to participating only in the under-19 tournament. Some youngsters, like Warren Zaire-Emery, may be prepared to compete at a high level at 16 or 17. However, others might benefit from more development at PSG before being promoted to the first team.

The aggregation of youthful talent inside a single city and its surrounding areas has engendered a phenomenon akin to a spectacle in grassroots football in Paris.

According to Montfermeil's athletic director, Abdelaziz, the number of scouts and agents on the sidelines regularly surpasses the number of family members.

"Initially, I extensively searched for talent in the Paris region. However, presently, it has become exceedingly challenging," remarks Jennifer Mendelewitsch, a representative from Supernova Management, situated in the Bois de Boulogne in western Paris.

"There are an excessive number of agents and individuals actively seeking the child, specifically a boy, who is destined for success." It is challenging to find a player in the Paris region. You engage in conversation with a family who have already enlisted the services of agents despite their child being just 12 years old. The current time needs to be revised. Allow them to experience childhood. They will undoubtedly achieve their goal if they possess the necessary qualities and skills.

While uttering the remarks, Mendelewitsch knows she is in a futile battle.

With Mbappe and Zaire-Emery leading a highly skilled group, the competition for the most talented individuals in Paris is intense, comparable to any brutal duel on the football field.