France was knocked out of the 2019 FIFA U17 World Cup last Thursday after wasting a 2-0 lead over Brazil in the semi-finals, but one player, in particular, emerged as a budding superstar.
Adil Aouchiche lit up the tournament recording seven assists and one goal. If you go back to the UEFA Euro Under-17 Championship earlier this year, Aouchiche was even more impressive scoring nine goals with one assist.
Les stats folles d'Adil Aouchiche (2002, PSG)
Euro U17
🆚 Angleterre ⚽🎯
🆚 Suède ⚽⚽⚽
🆚 Pays-Bas ⚽
🆚 Rep. Tchèque ⚽⚽⚽⚽
🆚 ItalieCoupe du Monde U17
🆚 Chili 🎯
🆚 Corée du Sud
🆚 Haïti 🎯
🆚 Australie 🎯🎯
🆚 Espagne ⚽🎯🎯📊 Bilan : 10 matchs, 10 buts et 7 passes pic.twitter.com/AL6fWtMz14
— EspoirsduFootball (@EspoirsduFoot) November 11, 2019
Those kinds of numbers are going to garner you a lot of attention and the Paris Saint-Germain product has done just that. In an article from The Athletic, writer Jack Lang describes Aouchiche’s playing style as Zidane-esque cool.
Adil Aouchiche’s casual, low-slung elegance makes him a joy to watch. His intelligence makes him a nightmare to play against https://t.co/ACqrWiJlJl
— Jack Lang (@jacklang) November 15, 2019
“Look only at the end product and you will miss out on his casual, low-slung elegance. You will miss the subtle changes of direction, the two-footedness, the way he manages the internal rhythms of the game. You will miss the not-so-distant echoes of Zinedine Zidane, a comparison that goes far beyond Aouchiche’s Algerian roots. Mainly, and apologies for dipping into arcane technical jargon here, you will miss just how bloody cool he is.”
That is high praise for a 17-year-old who has only featured in one Ligue 1 match this season, but Lang isn’t alone in his assessment of Aouchiche. FC Barcelona reportedly rates Aouchiche high enough that according to Sport (via Tribal Football), the Catalan club sent scouts to the U17 World Cup to get a closer look at the Frenchman who is out of contract with PSG in June of 2020.
In an interview with Le Parisien last month, Aouchiche was asked about his contract and confirmed that he is in discussions with the club and that he is very good at PSG. With so many talented youngsters leaving the club last summer, signing Aouchiche to a new contract is vitally important. He has the ability to break into PSG’s first team and contribute in a meaningful way in the next couple of seasons.
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