Who is Etienne Green? The England U21 goalkeeper starring in France

Robin Bairner

1 Oct 2021 18:36 BST
6 min read

Etienne Green, Saint-Etienne, 2021/22 — © ProShots

Etienne Green might not be a name known to many Premier League fans, but the Saint-Etienne goalkeeper is actually one of the rising stars of the English game.

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Born in Colchester to an English father and a French mother, he moved to France at a young age and has spent more than a decade honing his skills at the Ligue 1 side.

An injury crisis at Saint-Etienne thrust him into the first-team picture in 2021 and Green took his chances, establishing himself as the No.1 pick for the 2021/22 season.

He has since worked his way into the England Under-21 squad, in which he finds himself playing with names such as Marc Guehi, Max Aarons, Noni Madueke and Conor Gallagher.

What position does Etienne Green play?

Etienne Green is a goalkeeper. In terms of his style, he is primarily a sweeper keeper but has some attributes of a ball-playing goalkeeper, too.

How good is Etienne Green?

Green is Ligue 1’s youngest regular goalkeeper during the 2021/22 season, highlighting how impressive he has been to breakthrough in such a trying position at such a young age.

Furthermore, he was so impressive during the first month of the campaign, he won Saint-Etienne’s Player of the Month award for August by a landslide margin.

I thought he was amazing so I tried to replicate his game a bit. His saves on the line were amazing and so were his reflexes.

- Etienne Green on Stephane Ruffier

One of his major idols is emblematic Saint-Etienne goalkeeper Stephane Ruffier.

“I watched a lot of what he was doing,” he told the Ligue 1 Show. “When I was about 17, I had the luck to come and train with him several times and I was like ‘wow’.

“I thought he was amazing so I tried to replicate his game a bit. His saves on the line were amazing and so were his reflexes.

“He was a great leader of the team and someone I admired.”

Green’s call to the England Under-21 set up, meanwhile, is justification of the work he has been doing and the level of his play.

What clubs are interested in Etienne Green?

A relative newcomer to the first-team scene, Green is still establishing himself at Saint-Etienne and has not yet been linked with any other sides.

However, he has revealed an ambition to play in the Premier League.

“I watch the Premier League. I don’t really have a favourite team but my uncle supports West Ham, so I’ll say them!” he admitted.

“From what I’ve seen, the Premier League is played with a great intensity, but today we have great players in Ligue 1. For the moment, I’m thinking about my club, but I’d like to play in the Premier League one day.”