who is Eliesse Ben Seghir, the 17-year-old who scored twice against Auxerre
Eliesse Ben Seghir, 17, scored a double victory with AS Monaco against Auxerre (3-2), on the occasion of his first minutes in Ligue 1 and his second professional match.
Has French football discovered a new nugget? For his first appearance in Ligue 1, replacing Wissam Ben Yedder at half-time, Eliesse Ben Seghir, 17, helped AS Monaco win 3-2 against AJ Auxerre by scoring a remarkable double (58th, 85th). Although the club protected him from the media at the end of the meeting, the young man must have experienced this evening as a “very nice experience”.
It was his second game in pro
Eliesse Ben Seghir had played only one professional match before this first in Ligue 1. At the beginning of November at Louis-II, Philippe Clement had brought him into the last moments of the last Europa League group match against Etoile Belgrade Red. The meeting was already folded (4-1), which allowed the Belgian coach to easily offer him this reward.
Member of the Elite group set up by the club to refine the training of his talents, Eliesse Ben Seghir had been training with the pro group for several weeks and he had been able to participate in the friendly matches of the first team during the pre-season. He joined the AS Monaco training center in 2020 after passing through Cogolin, Fréjus St-Raphaël and Aix-en-Provence during his apprenticeship.
· In the footsteps of Thierry Henry
At exactly 17 years and 315 days, Eliesse Ben Seghir became the second youngest player to score a double for ASM in Ligue 1. This record for precociousness is held by Thierry Henry, who distinguished himself at 17 and 255 days with two goals against Racing Club de Lens in 1995. Kylian Mbappé was already 18 when he scored, not a double, but a hat-trick in February 2017 against FC Metz.
His brother plays for OM
If the name Eliesse Ben Seghir appeals to you, it may be because you already know his two-year older brother, Salim Ben Seghir. He moved to Olympique de Marseille and trained at OGC Nice. He has two appearances in Ligue 1 and one in the Europa League. This season, he is playing with the OM reserve in National 3.
“It’s a dream to play against him professionally one day, appointed Eliesse Ben Seghir to ASM media. We’ve been playing against each other since we were little. He has already spoken to me about it, but even without talking about it we understand each other, we will always keep this desire to confront each other, to challenge each other”.
French international U18
Of Moroccan origin, Eliesse Ben Seghir defended the colors of France in the youth categories. After two games with the under-17 team, he is now an international U18. He has already played five games and scored one but in this category, under the orders of Bernard Diomède. His last summons dates back to November.
“If we can combine the club and the French team, it’s perfect, he said when he was called up with the national U16s. The selection is the best, it’s the icing on the cake, it’s a completion work done in the club. You have to take it as a reward and give everything to be called to each gathering. Being part of the 30 is a real dream… You have to keep working and never accept arms to be called again and again” .