The 'New Yamal': Portuguese Gem is Son of Algerian International!

Walid Mesloub, born in Trappes (a Parisian suburb) on September 4, 1981, began his football journey at Levallois in the French fourth tier. In the 2007/08 season, the former midfielder, of Algerian descent, moved up to Istres in the third division, where he won Ligue 3 the following year. He then made his Ligue 2 debut with the same club in 2009/10.

However, Walid Mesloub truly established himself in France's second-highest league during his time at Le Havre (2010 to 2014). Early in this period, the central midfielder earned his first cap for the Algerian national team on November 17, 2010, in a friendly against Luxembourg, which ended in a goalless draw.

It's worth noting that a year prior, on November 8, 2009, the most important protagonist of this story was born: Walid Mesloub's son, Mezian Soares. This young talent, born with football in his blood, is the result of his father's relationship with a Portuguese woman.

Returning to his father's career, the Algerian international finally made the leap to Ligue 1 in 2014/15, joining Lorient, where he shared the dressing room with none other than Raphael Guerreiro. It is precisely with the European champion for Portugal that the first comparisons are now being drawn when discussing Mezian.

These comparisons aren't just due to their exceptional left feet, but primarily because, despite being born in France, both have been scouted by the Portuguese national teams. While Raphael Guerreiro joined the national setup through the U21s at the age of 20, Mezian Soares's case is much more precocious: he was called up to the same U21 squad at just 16 years old by Luís Freire, having previously represented the U16 and U17 teams.

Mezian Soares, who is also eligible to play for the French and Algerian national teams, has been shining at the highest level for Lens, where his father also played between 2017 and 2020 after leaving Lorient.

The young prospect even scored the goal that secured Lens' qualification for the current Champions League edition against Nantes (1-1) on the penultimate matchday of the previous season. The moment was even more special as it marked the creative midfielder's senior team debut and, even better, the left-footer's first action, having entered the game just ten seconds earlier.

The winger, often compared to Yamal, made history again two weeks ago in a 3-2 victory over Czech side Slavia Prague, where he even provided an assist. He became the second-youngest Portuguese player ever to feature in the Champions League at 16 years, ten months, and two days old. Only Dário Essugo, who debuted for Sporting in 2021 at 16 years and eight months, surpasses him.

Speaking of 2021, that was the year Walid Mesloub retired from football at 35, playing for Umm-Salal in Qatar. By then, his son was already making waves. Now a 16-year-old, Mezian Soares is one of the most exciting names in the present and future of Portuguese and global football.

Mezian Soares, alongside Flávio Gonçalves and Rafael Nel, is one of the new faces in the U21 squad. However, the Lens player stands out as the third-youngest ever to be called up to the U21 national team, trailing only Chalana and Diogo Costa.

In this regard, Diogo Sousa highlighted the young player's inclusion in Luís Freire's list on Monday: "I follow French football closely now, and Mezian is having a good start to the season. He deserves to be here, like all of us, and he's on the same level as everyone else."

The Strasbourg midfielder, and thus Mezian Soares's rival in Ligue 1, is confident that the attacker will play an important role in the team: "We hope he brings us much joy."

The U21s gathered for the first time on Monday at the Cidade do Futebol in Oeiras to prepare for their final qualifying matches against Bulgaria (this Friday), Gibraltar (September 30, Wednesday), and the Czech Republic (October 6, Tuesday) for the 2027 European Championship in Serbia and Albania.

Diogo Sousa emphasized the ambition to approach these matches at the "best level," highlighting the talent of the Portuguese squad: "That gives us comfort, to everyone and to the coach himself."

Portugal currently leads Group B of qualification with 19 points from seven matches, five more than the Czech Republic. Scotland (with one more game played) and Bulgaria both follow with eleven points.

The former Vitória de Guimarães midfielder acknowledges that the objective is close: "We will work to win all our games and try to resolve our situation as quickly as possible, scoring as many goals as possible and conceding as few as possible, to qualify."