Rayan Cherki: Bio, Salary, Net Worth, Lifestyle, Club, and International Career

Only a few clubs in Europe have the most successful youth academies, such as Ligue 1 giant Lyon. The next in line could be Rayan Cherki, who has been subject to intense transfer speculation of late. Surprisingly, Cherki made his mark with OL long ago, making his senior team debut in 2019 at the age of 16. Regarded as the best-ever prospect of Lyon’s youth set-up, Cherki has already made more than 100 appearances with the first team.

While Les Gones have experienced troubled times like never before in recent seasons, Cherki’s precocious talent has remained intact, bringing joy to the fans with his flamboyance. Not far from a finished product, it looks as though the time has finally come for the 21-year-old to move to a big club due to Lyon’s latest sanction. The former league champions have been handed provisional relegation should their financial situation fail to improve, forcing them to sell some of their prized assets.

With rumours intensifying, he is looking all set to join the English Premier League club, Manchester City. Talk about his transfer has reached the final stages as the French player has also denied a contract extension.

Rayan Cherki Bio

Cherki was born on 17 August 2003 in Lyon to Fabrice Amsellem Cherki, his Algerian-Jewish and Italian origin father and his mother Abla from Algeria. The young forward adopted a French nationality, citing the ample opportunities to pursue his career as a footballer in Paris, and also to redeem his father, who could never make it as a professional in French football.

Rayan Cherki Family and Early Life

Rayan Cherki was born and raised in Lyon, France, to parents of Algerian descent. His father, Fabrice Cherki, was an amateur footballer who played for clubs like FC Vaulx-en-Velin and AS Buers-Villeurbanne; his exploits inadvertently led Ryan Cherki to develop a deep love for the game. Lyon's youth team was the first to provide the young French magician with a stage to hone his craft. Cherki comes from a multi-cultural background, which diversified his thinking early on, leading to an unbiased view of the world and a staunch value system that has helped him steadily grow throughout his footballing career.

Cherki is widely considered one of the best talents to come out of the Lyon youth academy, which already boasts a great roster of homegrown talents. The French outfit has produced some of the best world-class talents who have gone on to become household names at top clubs, such as Karim Benzema, Alexandre Lacazette, Corentin Tolisso, and Samuel Umtiti, to name a few. Following in the footsteps of these greats, Cherki began playing with Lyon's reserve side in the Championnat National 2 at just the age of 15. On 7 July 2019, Cherki signed his first professional contract with Lyon until 2022.

Playing Style and Strengths

Rayan Cherki is a forward with an impressive technical range; he is one of the few genuinely two-footed players in World football. This ambidexterity gives him a great advantage in 1v1 situations as he can easily bait the defender to go one way and push away in the opposite direction. Along with this, Cherki is also highly adept at a variety of finishing techniques, from power shots and finesse shots to delicate chips and dinked finishes. This suggests that he would rake high numbers in his G/A; however, due to him still being relatively inexperienced, he sometimes panics in his shot selection and even tries to attempt shots from acute angles, which the keeper easily covers. Thus, it is clear that his maturity could lead to the onset of a completely new individual, who could be a pioneer in the attacking midfield position with improvements in his attacking instinct and timing of arrival in the box.

Cherki plays with a touch of arrogance that somehow elevates his game; this, however, is not a negative attribute, just his indomitable confidence in his abilities. In addition to all these abilities, Cherki can dominate opponents through his nimble feet and intentional first touch. He averages 7.72 dribbles per game with a success rate of about 60 percent, which places him among the best dribblers in Europe. His dribbling arsenal consists of a plethora of skills like Cruyff turns, stepovers, feints, all accentuated by his brilliant body orientation and an uncanny sense for the defenders' intentions. With the ball glued to his feet, he waits for the premonition of a tackle and swiftly leaves the eager pursuer with a goodbye of his dancing feet.

Rayan Cherki Net Worth

Rayan Cherki earns £57,000 per week, £2,964,000 per year playing for Olympique Lyonnais. Rayan Cherki net worth is £8,567,520. The forward has not disclosed any other sources of income, including brand or sponsorship deals, which would add significantly to his net worth, as brands often pay hefty amounts to young, upcoming players to promote their marketing agendas. Rayan Cherki has a current market value of around €35 million, however, it goes without saying that Lyon would try to extort an exorbitant amount of money to let go of their homegrown gem.

Rayan Cherki Salary

Rayan Cherki salary earns €8,000,000 annually and has 2 years remaining on his contract with Lyon (Ligue 1), expiring on Jun 30, 2026. Rayan Cherki, who is 21 years old, will earn an estimated base salary of €4,000,000 for the 2024-2025 Season, or €76,923 gross per week, excluding bonuses. Cherki extended his contract with Olympique Lyonnais on September 21, 2024, after which he was reinstated into the squad dynamics, after being previously shunted due to his adamant refusal for an extension to push for a transfer. Cherki has made it very clear this season that this would be his last season playing for Lyon, as he would want his home Club to gain a significant transfer fee out of his move rather than moving for free when his contract expires.

Rayan Cherki Partner

Rayan Cherki has not claimed to be in any relationship as of today. He is a dedicated individual who focuses all his personal and professional resources on improving his game and achieving the heights that his potential has promised the footballing world. There have been no reports of his relationship as Rayan Cherki only likes to keep his close-knit circle in the loop for his personal life.

Rayan Cherki Career

A hometown boy, Cherki started playing for Lyon’s reserves team at the age of 15 due to his early talent. He swiftly climbed the ladder and made his breakthrough with the first team at 16 in 2019 while signing his first-ever professional contract. His league debut came against Dijon while making his first-ever appearance in the Champions League against FC Zenit in November 2019. He established himself as a regular for Lyon in the 2020/21 season, netting 4 goals and 4 assists in 31 appearances while showcasing his raw talent.

Club Career

Cherki’s progress was hindered due to a metatarsal fracture in the 21/22 season, but he recaptured his essence in the following season. Although Lyon experienced a notable decline, which saw them lose their status as a regular European, Cherki continued his upward trend. As an attacking midfielder with the adaptability to play on the wings, the French prodigy constantly looked to conjure things up with his playmaking and dribbling skills. Managing 9 assists last season – while enjoying a great Coupe de France campaign, where Lyon lost only in the finals against PSG, Cherki has been off to an impressive start this term, racking up 2 goals and 3 assists. He has gradually developed as a key figure in a stacked dressing room, while he has already endeared himself to the fans, playing for them since childhood. His effortless playmaking and synchronization with the team make teammates trust him to find solutions when facing a defensive blockade.

International Career

Rayan Cherki has represented France in various age groups. He is also eligible to play for Italy or Algeria due to his parents’ roots. Cherki has netted 11 goals in 20 games for France’s U-21 side while being part of the 2024 Olympics football team that won the silver medal. He made his international debut for the France senior team against Spain during the UEFA Nations League semifinal, where he netted his first goal. Although they lost 5-4 in the end, the Lyon star player played an impressive game.

Rayan Cherki Awards and Achievements

Rayan Cherki won the second prize, a silver medal, recently during the 2024 Olympic Games with the French Olympic team. He is yet to feature for the first team squad; however, his inclusion would inevitably take place, it is just a question of when it will occur. Ideally, Cherki would fit the mold as a Griezmann replacement effortlessly; this is not to say he would offer the same maturity and end product, but it would be a seamless tactical fit.