A few minutes after the official announcement of the 25 finalists for the Golden Boy 2025 , Patrick Vieira took the time to chat with Foot Mercato in the heart of the Badia di Sant'Andrea, Genoa 's new training center . Guest of honor and master of ceremonies for the day organized by Tuttosport , the Genoa coach gave an insightful look at this rising generation. Between his admiration for Désiré Doué , and his thoughts on Paris Saint-Germain 's work in training, Vieira also shared his own philosophy for supporting young players.
“ We see the talent and the work done by PSG ”
Foot Mercato: We can say that French football is once again very well represented in this 2025 edition of the Golden Boy... How do you explain that French football has produced so many young talents in recent years?
Patrick Vieira: I think it highlights the quality of the work in terms of training in France or pre-training. And the really positive thing is that in France, young players have the opportunity to play in Ligue 1 fairly quickly. And that gives them even more motivation. I think that for a young player, it's still something encouraging and something positive. You know that you're not working for nothing. It means that when you arrive, you have the opportunity to play in Ligue 1, faster, earlier, than in England, Italy, or even Spain. It also pushes players to have this daily motivation that allows them to progress. But the main strength in France is the quality of the trainers.
FM: This bodes well for a bright new future for the French team after 2026, surely under the leadership of your friend Zinedine Zidane.
PV: These are good problems, they are rich people's problems, as they say (laughter, editor's note).
FM: The big favorite is Désiré Doué. Were you surprised by his meteoric rise at PSG?
PV: Désiré Doué is the best young player in Europe. Not only did he score in the Champions League final, where he showed all his talent, but he also progressed a lot at Rennes and continues to progress at PSG. He went through a difficult period, but he worked hard and never gave up. Lamine Yamal can't be nominated this year, so I think Doué will win. He's a young player with a lot of talent. A club must create a good environment for learning, making mistakes, and learning from them. Désiré Doué is the perfect example. I think he's the best of the best in the world.
FM: PSG will also be very well represented at the December ceremony. With Zaïre-Emery, Doué-Mayulu, Mbaye, and more recently Ndjantou, PSG is clearly an example to follow?
PV: Yes, but then there are many who are trained there and many who, unfortunately or fortunately for them, are not at Paris Saint-Germain and who, today, are playing in La Liga and in Italy. I think Paris is also a training club. When you see the young players who have returned to the Club World Cup, it shows the talent and the work that is done at Paris Saint-Germain. Afterwards, there has come a certain moment where it is important for them to play every weekend.
“ A young player needs support ”
FM: Does your experience as a former French star at AS Cannes help you communicate with younger players?
PV: I was lucky enough to be captain of Cannes at 19, and that experience serves me well today because I know what a young player needs to develop. At Cannes, I was surrounded by exemplary and professional players. I could really learn from them. I was lucky to have a coach who threw me in at the deep end straight away without being afraid of the mistakes I might make. And that confidence from the coach made me play with more confidence, and that's what allowed me to move up the ladder. Even at Arsenal, I arrived at 20, and during a match, I lost the ball, I got a red card, and we conceded a goal. But Arsène's (Wenger, editor's note) strength was seeing that talent in me and continuing to give me that confidence that really helped me make a career.
FM: In your opinion, aren't young players being thrown into the deep end too quickly compared to your generation?
PV: I think it's different because today, we encourage young players to play much earlier because there's the economic aspect that also comes into play for clubs, especially in France. They need to sell players, and to sell them, we have to expose them. And sometimes, these young players may not be ready. It's by playing matches one after the other that they develop little by little. A young player, who joins the professional team early, must continue to develop. That means he must continue to do a lot of individual work on the technical aspect, on the physical aspect, on the athletic aspect, and on the mental aspect. A young player needs support. When you leave the academy for the first team, there are things that are missing, especially when you're not playing. If you're not careful, you risk falling behind. And when you're chasing the gap, it's very complicated to make up for that gap.
FM: As a coach, what strategy do you adopt daily with young players?
PV: I can't say that a lost year can never be made up for, but it's very difficult at that age. For this reason, I think that a young player, when he's in the professional squad, if he doesn't get enough playing time, it's important for him to go and play with the reserve team once, twice, or three times a month. Playing 90-minute matches is really important for the development of young people. This work, which must be done in addition, is very important. The problem in big clubs where you play two matches a week is that those who are used to playing do more training to maintain their fitness. And if only this training is taken into consideration, the young player won't progress and it will become a problem.
FM: Isn't it too complicated to launch young players in Italy, in a league that struggles to trust its young talents?
PV: In Italy, we often hesitate to play young players because the focus is on immediate results. For our part, we have to think long-term. We must not lose confidence in young players, even if some decisions are sometimes made too quickly. There is still a huge gap in level between the Primavera and Serie A. The playing time of young players means there is less development. There has been a crisis in this area because there is not much playing time for young players.
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