Warren Zaire-Emery, the gifted “titi” who became prince of the Park

Kylian Mbappé, Randal Kolo Muani and Kang-in Lee all scored, but everyone only had eyes for him. At the age of 17, Warren Zaire-Emery was brilliant in the correction inflicted by PSG on AC Milan (3-0), Wednesday October 25, in the Champions League. Bold and carried forward, even when his team was struggling to breathe, he completed this crucial meeting with two assists and the man of the match trophy, awarded by UEFA.

“WZE” had just returned from injury and Luis Enrique preferred not to make him leave the pitch, unlike his midfield friend Manuel Ugarte. Enough to end the meeting with 11.5 kilometers covered and above all 340 meters gained with the ball. “I was tired, but the atmosphere and the audience push you”, recognized the person concerned at the Canal+ microphone after the meeting, with the slightly embarrassed smile that characterizes him. Warren Zaire-Emery always wants to act professional and is not the type to get excited.

Itinerary of a gifted person

“I’m very happy to be man of the match. It’s above all teamwork. I don’t know if it’s my best match. There are still things to improve, we’re going to do everything for them. improve”, added the pure product of Parisian training. He may have been upgraded in all youth categories, become the youngest player in history to have played a match with PSG (at 16 years, 10 months and 24 days) and established himself as a player key to one of the most ambitious clubs in the world, he always focuses on the road ahead.

“He’s a kid of his age, great in spirit, a little reserved but who has character. But in his game and in the lives of all the players, he shows real maturity. If his civil age is 16, his footballing age is higher., told Eurosport his coach for the French U16 and U17 team, José Alcocer, last January. At the time, Warren Zaire-Emery had only had a few minutes here and there to show up. Christophe Galtier then took advantage of an end to the season without any real challenges to give him more playing time.

“Warren Zaire-Emery is a surprising 17-year-old player, who does everything well, aggressive, technical, physical. He has the goal in his legs too. He is a perfect example for the young people at the PSG training center”

Luis Enrique, PSG coach

at a press conference

“Our great players have the same view on him as we do”, insisted the ex-PSG coach, while Lionel Messi, Neymar and even Sergio Ramos were still part of the squad. Since then, the “titi” has seized every opportunity given to him, then caught the eye of Luis Enrique as soon as he arrived in the capital. Which earned him to be called up to the France Espoirs team and directly inducted as captain by Thierry Henry, even though he is the youngest among the list of the last selected.

Already time to play for the French team?

Rather measured and pragmatic, Didier Deschamps has even already opened the doors to a selection with the A. “He is capable of potentially being on the list. If he continues like this, obviously, he is a serious candidate to have a role in midfield”, dared the Blues coach when he unveiled his latest list on October 5. Didier Deschamps did not miss anything from the masterclass of the new Prince of the Park (he was acclaimed more than the others when the team composition was announced), Wednesday evening, because he was present in the stands.

The boss of the French selection will not skip the stages with the Parisian prodigy, but some observers are already getting excited. In the aisles of the Parc des Princes, two journalists tried to imagine when Warren Zaire-Emery would end up being called up to the French team: “I told you last year that when he entered the eleven, he would not come out. He will be at the Euro next year”, “And I tell you that in November, he will already be there”. If the Parisian is indeed called to the next gathering, he could dethrone Eduardo Camavinga as the youngest player on the French team since the post-war period.