Rayan Cherki
French footballer (born 2003)
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Mathis Rayan Cherki (born 17 August 2003) is a French professional footballer who plays as an attacking midfielder or winger for Premier League club Manchester City and the France national team.
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Cherki warming up for Lyon in 2025 | |||||||||||||||||||||||
| Personal information | |||||||||||||||||||||||
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| Full name | Mathis Rayan Cherki[1] | ||||||||||||||||||||||
| Date of birth | 17 August 2003 | ||||||||||||||||||||||
| Place of birth | Lyon, France | ||||||||||||||||||||||
| Height | 1.77 m (5 ft 10 in)[2] | ||||||||||||||||||||||
| Position(s) | |||||||||||||||||||||||
| Team information | |||||||||||||||||||||||
Current team | Manchester City | ||||||||||||||||||||||
| Number | 10 | ||||||||||||||||||||||
| Youth career | |||||||||||||||||||||||
| 2009–2010 | Saint-Priest | ||||||||||||||||||||||
| 2010–2019 | Lyon | ||||||||||||||||||||||
| Senior career* | |||||||||||||||||||||||
| Years | Team | Apps | (Gls) | ||||||||||||||||||||
| 2019–2021 | Lyon B | 13 | (5) | ||||||||||||||||||||
| 2019–2025 | Lyon | 146 | (14) | ||||||||||||||||||||
| 2025– | Manchester City | 27 | (5) | ||||||||||||||||||||
| International career‡ | |||||||||||||||||||||||
| 2018 | France U16 | 2 | (0) | ||||||||||||||||||||
| 2021 | France U19 | 3 | (2) | ||||||||||||||||||||
| 2021–2025 | France U21 | 23 | (13) | ||||||||||||||||||||
| 2024 | France Olympic | 8 | (2) | ||||||||||||||||||||
| 2025– | France | 5 | (1) | ||||||||||||||||||||
Medal record
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* Club domestic league appearances and goals as of 23:52, 12 April 2026 (UTC) ‡ National team caps and goals as of 23:21, 29 March 2026 (UTC) | |||||||||||||||||||||||
Early life
Club career
Lyon
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.[7] On 7 July 2019, Cherki signed his first professional contract with Lyon until 2022.[8] He made his professional debut in a 0–0 Ligue 1 draw against Dijon on 19 October 2019.[9] 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,[10] in which he substituted Maxwel Cornet in the 74th minute of a 2–0 loss.[11]
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.[12] 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.[13] On 19 August, 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 Champions League semi-final.[14] Lyon were knocked out of the competition in that match, losing 3–0 to the eventual winners.[15]
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.[16]
In September 2024, Cherki extended his stay with the club until 2027.[17] The extension included an optional year, which would be automatically activated if he was still under contract with Lyon on 1 September 2025.[18] Following the contract extension, Cherki emerged as a standout player for Lyon, finishing as the league’s top assist provider with 11, and earning him a place in the UNFP Team of the Year.[19][20] He was also given the inaugural Ligue 1 Dribbler of the Year award.[21] In the UEFA Europa League, Cherki delivered eight assists, making him the competition’s top assist provider and playing a key role in helping Lyon reach the quarter-finals. His performances were further recognized with the competition's Young Player of the Season award and a place in the Team of the Season, highlighting his development and growing influence at both domestic and European levels.[22][23]
Manchester City
On 10 June 2025, Premier League club Manchester City announced the signing of Cherki on a five-year contract for a reported initial fee of €36.5m, a potential €6m in add-ons, and a 15% sell-on clause.[24][25][26] On 22 June, he scored his first goal for the club in a 6–0 FIFA Club World Cup group stage victory against Al Ain.[27] On 14 August, after Jack Grealish's departure on loan to Everton, Cherki was given the number 10 shirt.[28] On 16 August, Cherki scored on his Premier League debut for City after coming on as a substitute for Erling Haaland in a 4–0 away victory over Wolverhampton Wanderers in their season opener.[29] On 29 October, Cherki registered a goal and an assist on his EFL Cup debut in a 3–1 away victory over EFL Championship side Swansea City in the fourth round.[30] On 5 November, Cherki scored his first Champions League goal in a 4–1 home league phase victory over Bundesliga side Borussia Dortmund.[31]
International career
Cherki is eligible to play for either France, Algeria, or Italy – the latter two due to his parents' origin.[32] He played for the France national under-16 team twice in 2018, both of which were friendly matches against Denmark.[33]
In 2024, Cherki was named in France U23's squad for the Olympic Games hosted in France.[34] He appeared in three games during the tournament, starting in the last group stage game against New Zealand, and then appeared as a substitute in the semi-final game against Egypt, and then in the final against Spain, as France won the silver medal.[35] Being an Olympic medalist, Cherki was awarded the Knight of the National Order of Merit.[36]
Cherki debuted for the French senior squad on 5 June 2025, scoring and assisting in a 5–4 loss against Spain in the Nations League semi-finals.[37] Three days later, on 9 June, he earned his first start in a 2–0 victory against Germany in the same tournament.[38]
Career statistics
Club
- As of match played 19 April 2026[3]
| Club | Season | League | National cup[a] | League cup[b] | Europe | Other | Total | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Division | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | ||
| Lyon B | 2019–20 | National 2 | 10 | 5 | — | — | — | — | 10 | 5 | ||||
| 2020–21 | National 2 | 1 | 0 | — | — | — | — | 1 | 0 | |||||
| 2021–22 | National 2 | 2 | 0 | — | — | — | — | 2 | 0 | |||||
| Total | 13 | 5 | — | — | — | — | 13 | 5 | ||||||
| Lyon | 2019–20 | Ligue 1 | 6 | 0 | 3 | 3 | 2 | 0 | 2[c] | 0 | — | 13 | 3 | |
| 2020–21 | Ligue 1 | 27 | 1 | 3 | 3 | — | — | — | 30 | 4 | ||||
| 2021–22 | Ligue 1 | 16 | 0 | 0 | 0 | — | 4[d] | 2 | — | 20 | 2 | |||
| 2022–23 | Ligue 1 | 34 | 4 | 5 | 1 | — | — | — | 39 | 5 | ||||
| 2023–24 | Ligue 1 | 33 | 1 | 6 | 2 | — | — | — | 39 | 3 | ||||
| 2024–25 | Ligue 1 | 30 | 8 | 2 | 0 | — | 12[d] | 4 | — | 44 | 12 | |||
| Total | 146 | 14 | 19 | 9 | 2 | 0 | 18 | 6 | — | 185 | 29 | |||
| Manchester City | 2024–25 | Premier League | — | — | — | — | 4[e] | 1 | 4 | 1 | ||||
| 2025–26 | Premier League | 27 | 4 | 4 | 0 | 5 | 3 | 8[c] | 3 | — | 44 | 10 | ||
| Total | 27 | 4 | 4 | 0 | 5 | 3 | 8 | 3 | 4 | 1 | 48 | 11 | ||
| Career total | 186 | 23 | 23 | 9 | 7 | 3 | 26 | 9 | 4 | 1 | 246 | 45 | ||
- Includes Coupe de France, FA Cup
- Includes Coupe de la Ligue, EFL Cup
- Appearances in UEFA Champions League
- Appearances in UEFA Europa League
- Appearances in FIFA Club World Cup
International
- As of match played 29 March 2026
| National team | Year | Apps | Goals |
|---|---|---|---|
| France | 2025 | 4 | 1 |
| 2026 | 1 | 0 | |
| Total | 5 | 1 | |
- As of match played 29 March 2026
- Spain score listed first, score column indicates score after each Cherki goal.
| No. | Date | Venue | Cap | Opponent | Score | Result | Competition |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 5 June 2025 | MHPArena, Stuttgart, Germany | 1 |  Spain | 2–5 | 4–5 | 2025 UEFA Nations League Finals |
Honours
Lyon
- Coupe de France runner-up: 2023–24[39]
- Coupe de la Ligue runner-up: 2019–20[40]
Manchester City
France Olympic
- Summer Olympics silver medal: 2024[42]
France
- UEFA Nations League third place: 2024–25[43]
Individual
- UNFP Ligue 1 Team of the Year: 2024–25[44]
- Ligue 1 top assist provider: 2024–25[45]
- Ligue 1 Dribbler of the Year: 2024–25[46]
- UEFA Europa League Team of the Season: 2024–25[47]
- UEFA Europa League top assist provider: 2024–25[48]
- UEFA Europa League Young Player of the Season: 2024–25[49]
- UEFA Nations League Finals Goal of the Tournament: 2025[50]
Orders
