The 20 Ligue 1 youngsters with the most potential

Martin Macdonald

• 29 Apr 2022 12:47 BST
• 4 min read

Nuno Mendes is the Ligue 1 player at the age of 21 or younger with the most potential, according to SciSports.

Using in-game data to calculate the performance of every Ligue 1 player, the PSG star has statistically the highest ceiling of any youngster plying their trade in France's top flight.

Left-back has long been a problem position for PSG, with various superstars arriving in other positions while the likes of Juan Bernat and Layvin Kurzawa have been serviceable.

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In the summer of 2021, Mendes arrived on loan from Sporting Lisbon, and he has gone on to impress so much that it is a foregone conclusion that PSG will make the move permanent in the upcoming transfer window.

The player with the second-highest potential in Ligue 1 is another loanee in William Saliba. The central defender is currently on loan at Marseille from Arsenal and has been excellent, so much so that links to the likes of Barcelona and Inter have been generated. Marseille want to keep him, though.

Benoit Badiashile, in third, has long been touted as one of the next great French defenders, having come through the Monaco youth ranks. The 21-year-old is already closing in on 100 top-flight appearances and has attracted interest from Europe's biggest clubs due to his combination of physicality, technical quality and ability to read the game.

Defensive midfielder Joris Chotard has been one of the breakout stars of Ligue 1 this season, having established himself as a fulcrum of Montpellier. He is not typically a player who catches the eye because of the type of role he plays, but he is quietly efficient and a player heading for the top.

Mohamed-Ali Cho is the second youngest player in French history to sign a professional contract, with Eduardo Camavinga, now of Real Madrid, the only player younger. The striker, who was brought up in England, has caught the eye with his clever movement and pace, but still needs to polish his finishing to be sure of making it to the very top.

How is the SciSkill ranking calculated?

SciSports explains how our development ratings are gathered:

“Among others, a positive development could be boosted by more playing time, playing time on a higher level or better performances on the pitch.

“A negative development could be due to the player being active on a lower level than he used to play, bad performances or the fact that he does not play that often as he used to do.

“A SciSkill Development of 0.0 could indicate that a player is performing exactly like our algorithm expects him to do. Another reason could be inactivity (e.g. a long-term injury or suspension).”