It didn’t take long for him to come into his own. Coming into play at the end of regulation time, in place of the very good Leroy Sané, Mathys Tel shook the nets at the start of added time this Wednesday evening, against Manchester United, following a sumptuous sequence of control of the knee-half volley with the right foot, on a precise serve from Joshua Kimmich. A decisive goal since it allowed FC Bayern Munich to maintain a one-goal lead (4-3) and therefore to successfully enter the Champions League. With this achievement, his first in the competition, the 18-year-old Frenchman confirms (a little more) all the hopes placed in him.
To understand the rise of the native of Sarcelles (Val d’Oise), a little step back in time is necessary. On July 26, 2022, he left Stade Rennes, his training club, to join the Bavarian team for an amount of around €30 million, bonus included. A transfer (and in particular the price) which is surprising…Because the versatile striker, aged only 17, has only made a few small appearances among professionals with the Rouge et Noir (79 minutes). But Mathys Tel is a talent apart and the German leaders have understood this well.
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Precocious – he became at 16 years, 3 months and 19 days, the youngest player to have made his debut for the SRFC first team, ahead of Eduardo Camavinga – he showed the full extent of his qualities of speed, power, of technique and sense of goal in the youth teams, both with the Breton club and in the French team with whom he also won the U17 European Championship in 2022. Thus, while some predicted him a destiny of Tanguy Kouassi – who left Paris SG two years earlier for FC Bayern Munich, he never managed to establish himself there -, he seems rather to follow a trajectory like Kingsley Coman who had blossomed at Juventus Turin after having left the Rouge et Bleu at the end of his contract.
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Due to the (very) strong competition that exists in the offensive sector – Kingsley Coman, Serge Gnabry, Thomas Müller, Jamal Musiala and now Harry Kane, to name but a few – Mathys Tel is quite logically confined to a role of replacement within the Munich team. And he does his job very well. Indeed, despite his limited playing time, he manages to do well. Last season, he found the net five times in twenty-two appearances in the Bundesliga. This season, he seems to have reached a milestone: he (already) has two goals in the league and (therefore) one in the most beautiful European competition.
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“As soon as I have an opportunity, I try to put it to the bottom. I’ve been waiting for this goal for a while. It gives more confidence, I start to settle in, to prove to others that I am there for them, for the fans too. It feels great, I worked for it,” he explained to Canal this Wednesday evening, on the sidelines of his team’s success against the Red Devils. A real luxury joker. But who doesn’t plan to stay that way?
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Because the ex-Rennais is, like more and more young people in the world of football, (very) ambitious, a bit like Kylian Mbappé. “We are in an ambitious club, I have to be ambitious, to want, to tear myself up for the team,” he said. This is why, while he is still coming off the bench at FC Bayern Munich, he is already thinking about the Blues. “The French team is in the back of my mind but we have to remain patient,” he stressed. I have to evolve, grow at Bayern, and when that comes I will be ready,” he told Canal.
If he has undoubtedly attracted the attention of Didier Deschamps, he will (certainly) have to establish himself a little more at the club to claim a place in the France A team, particularly with a view to Euro 2024 organized in Germany. On the other hand, it is very likely that Thierry Henry will select him during the next Espoirs gatherings…and call on him for the 2024 Olympic Games in Paris.