Désiré Doué
Doué with Rennes in 2023
Personal information
Date of birth (2005-06-03) 3 June 2005
Place of birth Angers, France
Height 1.81 m (5 ft 11 in)[1]
Position(s) Midfielder
Team information
Current team
 Rennes
Number 33
Youth career
2011–2021 Rennes
Senior career*
Years Team Apps (Gls)
2021– Rennes II 11 (1)
2022– Rennes 41 (5)
International career‡
2021–2022 France U17 17 (7)
2022– France U19 9 (2)
2023– France U21 1 (0)
Medal record
Men's football
Representing  France
UEFA European Under-17 Championship
Winner2022 Israel
*Club domestic league appearances and goals, correct as of 23:55, 20 December 2023 (UTC)
‡ National team caps and goals, correct as of 23:05, 13 October 2023 (UTC)

Désiré Doué (born 3 June 2005) is a French professional footballer who plays as a midfielder for Ligue 1 club Rennes. He is widely considered to be one of the most talented prospects in European football.[2][3][4][5][6]

Among the top products of Rennes' youth setup in recent years, in 2022 Doué became the first player born in 2005 to score a goal as a professional, and the youngest French player ever who scored in European club competitions. He is a youth international for France, having played for the national team at the U17, U19 and U21 level.

Club career

Rennes

Doué began playing football with the youth academy of Rennes at the age of five in 2011. He began his senior career with their reserves in 2021, and started training with the senior side in February 2021.[7] On 14 April 2022, he signed his first professional contract until 2024.[8]

On 7 August 2022, Doué made his professional debut for Rennes as a substitute in a 1–0 Ligue 1 defeat at home to Lorient.[9] On 31 August, he scored his first professional goal in a 3–1 league win at home over Brest, becoming the first player born in 2005 to score in any of the major five European leagues.[10] On 6 October, Doué scored an 89th-minute winning goal for Rennes in a 2–1 UEFA Europa League home victory over Dynamo Kyiv, his first European goal.[11] The goal made him the youngest ever French scorer in European club competitions at 17 years, four months and four days of age.[12] On 9 October, Doué scored a brilliant half volley in the Derby Breton against FC Nantes, sealing a 3-0 win in less than 60 seconds after coming on as a substitute in the 83rd minute.[13] On 2 November, Doué extended this contract with Rennes for another year until 2025.[14]

On 9 April 2023, Doué found himself substituted out in the final minutes of the 3-1 defeat against Lyon after being introduced from the bench 18 minutes earlier. Rennes manager Bruno Génésio was critical of the midfielder in his post-match comments, but also gave him encouragement: "It does not mean I don’t have great trust in him and that he’ll fail to make a great career, but some things need to be understood faster".[15] Doué finished the 2022-2023 season in the Ligue 1 with 29 appearances, out of which 11 as a starter.

On 1 October, Doué scored his first goal in the 2023-2024 season in a 3-1 win against FC Nantes.[16]

International career

Doué is a youth international for France, having represented the France U17s and France U19s. He played for the U17s in their winning campaign at the 2022 UEFA European Under-17 Championship[17] and the U19s in the 2024 UEFA European Under-19 Championship qualifiers. Doué debuted for the France under-21 team on 13 October 2023 in the UEFA European under-21 championship qualifying match against Bosnia and Herzegovina, where he picked up two yellow cards and was sent off before the final whistle.[18]

Style of play and reception

Doué's natural position is an attacking midfielder, but his versatility allows him to play deeper in midfield, on either wing or even as a forward, in different formations. A dynamic box-to-box playmaker with an eye for goal, Doué has been noted for his supreme agility, acceleration and pace, which combined with his excellent dribbling, shooting and passing technique allows him to be a potent offensive threat in a variety of situations.[19] According to journalist Liam Tharme, who analyzed the player for The Athletic, Doué's super-strength is ball carrying, ranking inside the top two per cent of central midfielders in the top five European leagues over the 2022-2023 season for progressive carries (3.4 per 90), and the top one per cent for successful dribbles (3.9).[20] ESPN describes Doué as "an entertainer at heart, full of tricks and skills designed to shake up opponents".[21] Despite being primarily used as an attacking player, Doué has also been praised for his defensive contribution, demonstrated by his average of more than three tackles per game in the Ligue 1, which has placed him in the top six per cent of midfielders in the league.[22]

Because of his creativity and athleticism, Doué has been compared to Real Madrid midfielder and former Rennes youth product Eduardo Camavinga. Rennes manager Bruno Génésio has spoken highly of Doué, calling the youngster "physically already equipped" and further complimenting him: "He reads the game very well. Technically, right foot and even left foot, he's complete, with good control on both. Away from the pitch he's a dream. Easy, calm, with a streak of leadership whilst still asking for advice. He's both care-free and conscientious in his work. He's already a pro in his head".[23] Veteran midfielder Nemanja Matić who signed for Rennes in the summer of 2023 stated that Doué has great potential.[24]

Personal life

Born in Angers, Pays de la Loire, France, Doué holds French and Ivorian nationalities.[25][26] His brother Guéla Doué, and his cousins Yann Gboho and Marc-Olivier Doué are also professional footballers.[27][28]

Honours

France U17

References

  1. ↑ "Désiré Doué". Stade Rennais F.C. Retrieved 24 February 2023.
  2. ↑ Christenson, Marcus; Bloor, Steven; Blight, Garry (28 September 2022). "Next Generation 2022: 60 of the best young talents in world football". The Guardian.
  3. ↑ Devin, Eric (3 January 2023). "TOP 10 YOUNG PLAYERS TO WATCH IN LIGUE 1 IN 2023". Get Football News France.
  4. ↑ Maston, Tom (21 March 2023). "NXGN 2023: The 50 best wonderkids in football". GOAL.
  5. ↑ "Who Are the Next Megastars to Come Out of Ligue 1?". BeIN SPORTS. 8 August 2023.
  6. ↑ "20 Young Ballers Due to Take Over in 2023". Versus. 2 February 2023.
  7. ↑ "Rennes : Désiré Doué signe son premier contrat professionnel". Foot Mercato : Info Transferts Football - Actu Foot Transfert.
  8. ↑ "Premier contrat pro en vue à Rennes pour Désiré Doué". L'Équipe.
  9. ↑ "Rennes vs. Lorient". Soccerway. 7 August 2022. Retrieved 7 October 2022.
  10. ↑ "Rennes vs. Brest". Soccerway. 31 August 2022. Retrieved 7 October 2022.
  11. ↑ "Rennes vs. Dinamo Kiev". Soccerway. 6 October 2022. Retrieved 7 October 2022.
  12. ↑ Telford, S (12 October 2023). "Room for Doué? Guéla and Désiré both now starring for Rennes". Ligue 1 Uber Eats.
  13. ↑ Scahill, Liam (18 October 2022). "Désire Doué Is Displaying Preternatural Footballing Development At Stade Rennais". Breaking The Lines.
  14. ↑ Jucobin, Raphaël (2 November 2022). "OFFICIAL | DÉSIRÉ DOUÉ RENEWS RENNES CONTRACT TO 2025". Get French Football News.
  15. ↑ Cheval, Bastien (9 April 2023). "RENNES' BRUNO GENESIO SUBSTITUTED DÉSIRÉ DOUÉ 18 MINUTES AFTER HIS INTRODUCTION AGAINST LYON". Get French Football News.
  16. ↑ Rauzy, François (1 October 2023). "Ligue 1 : le Stade Rennais s'impose dans le derby face à Nantes et reste invaincu cette saison". France Bleu.
  17. ↑ "La France remporte l'Euro des moins de 17 ans contre les Pays-Bas". L'Équipe.
  18. ↑ Déchelotte, Arnaud (16 October 2023). "Après son carton rouge, Doué quitte le rassemblement des Espoirs". beIN SPORTS.
  19. ↑ Kulig, Jacek (21 December 2022). "Désiré Doué: The Gifted One by Vuyo Ndebele". Football Talent Scout.
  20. ↑ Tharme, Liam (2 August 2023). "Desire Doue: The latest gifted prospect from the Rennes production line". The Athletic.
  21. ↑ "Best XI: Young bargain signings in each top European league". ESPN. 2 July 2023.
  22. ↑ Deepak Tripathi, Saumy (26 October 2022). "Who is Desire Doue: The perfect successor to Eduardo Camavinga". FootTheBall.
  23. ↑ "One to watch: Désiré Doué, Rennes' latest prodigy". Ligue 1 Uber Eats. 15 September 2022.
  24. ↑ Telford, S (30 September 2023). "'Désiré Doué has great potential' says Nemanja Matic". Ligue 1 Uber Eats.
  25. ↑ "Rennes : Désiré Doué signe son premier contrat professionnel". AmSport. 15 April 2022.
  26. ↑ https://www.unfp.org/joueur/desire-doue-25504/
  27. ↑ Cassé, Josué. "Rennes : Désiré Doué signe son premier contrat professionnel". Foot Mercato : Info Transferts Football - Actu Foot Transfert.
  28. ↑ Lombardi, Lorenzo (23 October 2022). "Attenzione a... Désiré Doué".
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