Mathis Rayan Cherki (French pronunciation: [ʁajan ʃɛʁki]; Arabic: رايان شرقي; born 17 August 2003) is a French professional footballer who plays as attacking midfielder for Ligue 1 club Lyon.
![]() Cherki playing for Lyon in 2019 | |||
Personal information | |||
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Full name | Mathis Rayan Cherki | ||
Date of birth | (2003-08-17) 17 August 2003 (age 19) | ||
Place of birth | Lyon, France | ||
Height | 1.75 m (5 ft 9 in) | ||
Position(s) | Attacking midfielder, Winger | ||
Club information | |||
Current team | Lyon | ||
Number | 18 | ||
Youth career | |||
2009–2010 | Saint-Priest | ||
2010–2019 | Lyon | ||
Senior career* | |||
Years | Team | Apps | (Gls) |
2019–2020 | Lyon B | 12 | (5) |
2020– | Lyon | 60 | (1) |
National team‡ | |||
2018 | France U16 | 2 | (0) |
2021– | France U19 | 3 | (2) |
2021– | France U21 | 6 | (4) |
*Club domestic league appearances and goals, correct as of 6 November 2022 ‡ National team caps and goals, correct as of 26 September 2022 |
Cherki was born on 17 August 2003 in the 3rd arrondissement of Lyon, France. Both of Cherki's parents are of Algerian descent; his father, Fabrice, is also of Italian descent.[1][2][3]
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.[4] On 7 July 2019, Cherki signed his first professional contract with Lyon until 2022.[5] He made his professional debut in a 0–0 Ligue 1 draw against Dijon on 19 October 2019.[6]
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,[7] in which he substituted Maxwel Cornet in the 74th minute of a 2–0 loss.[8]
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.[9] 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.[10]
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.[11] Lyon were knocked out of the competition in that match, losing by a score of 3–0 to the eventual winners.[12]
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.[13]
Cherki is eligible to play for both Algeria and France, Algeria through his parents origin. Cherki played for the France national under-16 team twice in 2018, both of which were friendlies against Denmark.[14]
Club | Season | League | National Cup | Continental | Other | Total | ||||||
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Division | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | ||
Lyon B | 2019–20 | Championnat National 2 | 10 | 5 | — | — | — | 10 | 5 | |||
2020–21 | Championnat National 2 | 1 | 0 | — | — | — | 1 | 0 | ||||
2021–22 | Championnat National 2 | 1 | 0 | — | — | — | 1 | 0 | ||||
Total | 12 | 5 | — | — | — | 12 | 5 | |||||
Lyon | 2019–20 | Ligue 1 | 6 | 0 | 3 | 3 | 2[lower-alpha 1] | 0 | 2[lower-alpha 2] | 0 | 13 | 3 |
2020–21 | Ligue 1 | 27 | 1 | 3 | 3 | — | — | 30 | 4 | |||
2021–22 | Ligue 1 | 16 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 4[lower-alpha 3] | 2 | — | 20 | 2 | ||
2022–23 | Ligue 1 | 11 | 0 | 0 | 0 | — | — | 11 | 0 | |||
Total | 60 | 1 | 6 | 6 | 6 | 2 | 2 | 0 | 74 | 9 | ||
Career total | 72 | 6 | 6 | 6 | 6 | 2 | 2 | 0 | 86 | 14 |
Lyon
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Olympique Lyonnais – current squad | |
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