Rayan Cherki

French footballer (born 2003) From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Rayan Cherki

Mathis Rayan Cherki (born 17 August 2003) is a French professional footballer who plays as attacking midfielder or winger for Ligue 1 club Lyon.

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Rayan Cherki
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Cherki playing for Lyon in 2019
Personal information
Full name Mathis Rayan Cherki
Date of birth (2003-08-17) 17 August 2003 (age 21)
Place of birth Lyon, France
Height 1.77 m (5 ft 10 in)[1]
Position(s) Attacking midfielder, winger
Team information
Current team
Lyon
Number 18
Youth career
2009–2010 Saint-Priest
2010–2019 Lyon
Senior career*
Years Team Apps (Gls)
2019–2021 Lyon B 13 (5)
2019– Lyon 141 (14)
International career
2018 France U16 2 (0)
2021 France U19 3 (2)
2021– France U21 23 (13)
2024 France Olympic 8 (2)
Medal record
Men's football
Representing  France
Olympic Games
2024Team
*Club domestic league appearances and goals, correct as of 04:06, 15 April 2025 (UTC)
‡ National team caps and goals, correct as of 01:45, 24 March 2025 (UTC)
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Early life

Cherki was born on 17 August 2003 in Lyon.[2] His father is of Algerian-Italian descent, and his mother of Algerian descent.[3][4][5]

Club career

Summarize
Perspective

Lyon

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.[6] On 7 July 2019, Cherki signed his first professional contract with Lyon until 2022.[7] He made his professional debut in a 0–0 Ligue 1 draw against Dijon on 19 October 2019.[8]

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, aged 16 years and 102 days,[9] in which he substituted Maxwel Cornet in the 74th minute of a 2–0 loss.[10]

On 4 January 2020, Cherki scored his first senior goal as a substitute in a 7–0 win over Bourg-en-Bresse in the Coupe de France, becoming the youngest-ever player to score a senior goal for Lyon, aged 16 years and 140 days.[11] On 18 January, he was involved in all four of Lyon's goals in a 4–3 win over Nantes in another Coupe de France match; he scored a brace, and assisted the other two goals.[12]

On 19 August 2020, Cherki was subbed on in a UEFA Champions League match against Bayern Munich. In doing so, he became the youngest-ever player to feature in a UEFA Champions League semi-final.[13] Lyon were knocked out of the competition in that match, losing by a score of 3–0 to the eventual winners.[14]

Cherki scored his first Ligue 1 goal in a 3–2 win over Monaco on 2 May 2021. His goal secured the victory for Lyon in the final minutes of the match.[15]

In September 2024, Rayan Cherki, who was initially set to be out of contract with Lyon in the summer of 2025, extended his stay with the club until 2027. This extension includes an optional year, which will be automatically activated if the player is still under contract with OL on September 1, 2025.[16][17]

International career

Cherki is eligible to play for either France, Algeria or Italy, the latter due to his parents' origin. Cherki played for the France national under-16 team twice in 2018, both of which were friendlies against Denmark.[18]

Career statistics

Club

As of match played 17 April 2025[2]
More information Club, Season ...
Appearances and goals by club, season and competition
Club Season League French Cup League Cup Europe Total
DivisionAppsGoalsAppsGoalsAppsGoalsAppsGoalsAppsGoals
Lyon B 2019–20 National 2 105105
2020–21 National 2 1010
2021–22 National 2 2020
Total 135135
Lyon 2019–20 Ligue 1 6033202[a]0133
2020–21 Ligue 1 27133304
2021–22 Ligue 1 160004[b]2202
2022–23 Ligue 1 34451395
2023–24 Ligue 1 33162393
2024–25 Ligue 1 2582012[b]43912
Total 141141992018618029
Career total 154191992018619334
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  1. Appearances in UEFA Champions League
  2. Appearances in UEFA Europa League

Honours

Lyon

France U23

Orders

References

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