As we all know, French football is currently at the top of every ranking when it comes to young players, in a football movement that is based solely and exclusively on talent development. A clear example is the Institut National du Football, also known as INF, located in Clairefontaine-en-Yvelines, about 50 km from Paris.
YOU ARRIVE VERY YOUNG AND YOU BECOME FOOTBALLERS
Clairefontaine is just one of the twelve official academies of the French Football Federation, located in areas scattered all over France to attract talent from every part of the country. Kids arrive here very young, around 13 or 14, and leave before 16, once a big club has noticed their skills and playing style. People go to Clairefontaine mainly to improve their technique and physical abilities, but also to compete with the best players of their age, and being close to Paris, there are plenty of talents around.
FROM HENRY TO MBAPPE, ONLY CERTAINTIES
Born in 1988, the project bore fruit right from the start, but it’s especially in the last decade that Clairefontaine has become the main hub for young Parisian kids and beyond. Back in the 90s, thirteen-year-old Thierry Henry, Nicolas Anelka before moving to Paris Saint-Germain, and defender William Gallas all passed through here.
In more recent years, this football school has really been a goldmine for clubs and the French national team. The most important name is Kylian Mbappé, who was here from 2011 to 2013, before starting his career as perhaps one of the best players in the world, or at least at that level. Before Mbappé, players like Blaise Matuidi, Olivier Giroud, Mehdi Benatia, Raphael Guerreiro, and Hatem Ben Arfa also passed through here.
For many players, Clairefontaine wasn’t really their “first club,” but they trained on these fields, like in the case of Marcus Thuram, Mike Maignan, and Anthony Martial.
THEY KEEP CHURNING OUT TALENT
The French Federation continues to build top-notch training centers in more and more French locations, but Clairefontaine still remains the hub of the system, so much so that it is officially the meeting place for the French national team during breaks. New names of promising players include, for example, Monaco’s young talent Maghnes Akliouche, born in 2002, or the better-known Mathys Tel, 2005, who plays for Tottenham.
This INF model is definitely the one that has worked the most in France, and not just there. Clairefontaine doesn’t develop players for personal gains, but does it with a very specific goal: to turn kids who are still learning everything at 13 into real players. By doing this, the reputation comes naturally, and the youth system always stays top-notch, with selections every year and a super quick turnover of players.
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