 Cherki playing forLyon in 2025 | |||
| Personal information | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Full name | Mathis Rayan Cherki[1] | ||
| Date of birth | (2003-08-17)17 August 2003 (age 22) | ||
| Place of birth | Lyon, France | ||
| Height | 1.77 m (5 ft 10 in)[2] | ||
| Position(s) | Attacking midfielder,winger | ||
| 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 | 7 | (1) |
| 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 | 4 | (1) |
Medal record | |||
| * Club domestic league appearances and goals as of 23:17, 22 November 2025 (UTC) ‡ National team caps and goals as of 23:21, 16 November 2025 (UTC) | |||
Mathis Rayan Cherki (born 17 August 2003) is a French professionalfootballer who plays as anattacking midfielder orwinger forPremier League clubManchester City and theFrance national team.
Rayan Cherki was born on 17 August 2003 inLyon, to Fabrice Cherki, of Italian andChaoui Algerian descent, and Abla Cherki, of Algerian descent fromBiskra.[3][4][5][6]
Cherki is a product of theyouth academy of Lyon, and is considered one of their best-ever prospects. He began playing with their reserve side in theChampionnat National 2 at the age of 15.[7] On 7 July 2019, Cherki signed his first professional contract withLyon until 2022.[8] He made his professional debut in a 0–0Ligue 1 draw againstDijon on 19 October 2019.[9]
After scoring four goals in the2019–20 UEFA Youth League, he made his senior European debut on 27 November 2019 in aChampions League group stage game againstZenit, aged 16 years and 102 days,[10] in which he substitutedMaxwel 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 overBourg-en-Bresse in theCoupe 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 overNantes in another Coupe de France match; he scored a brace, and assisted the other two goals.[13]
On 19 August 2020, Cherki was subbed on in aUEFA Champions League match againstBayern Munich. In doing so, he became the youngest-ever player to feature in a UEFA Champions League semi-final.[14] Lyon were knocked out of the competition in that match, losing by a score of 3–0 to the eventual winners.[15]
Cherki scored his first Ligue 1 goal in a 3–2 win overMonaco on 2 May 2021. His goal secured the victory for Lyon in the final minutes of the match.[16]
In September 2024, Cherki, who was initially set to be out of contract with Lyon in the summer of 2025, extended his stay with the club until 2027.[17] This extension includes an optional year, which would be automatically activated if the player was still under contract with Lyon on 1 September 2025.[18] Following the contract extension, Cherki’s 2024–25 season emerged as a standout individual campaign with Lyon. He registered 11 assists in Ligue 1, finishing as the league’s top assist provider and earning him a place in theUNFP Team of the Year.[19][20] He was also given the inaugural Ligue 1 Dribbler of the Year award.[21] In theUEFA Europa League, Cherki delivered 8 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 Europa League Young Player of the Season award and a place in the competition's Team of the Season, highlighting his development and growing influence at both domestic and European levels.[22][23]
On 10 June 2025,Premier League clubManchester 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 6–0FIFA Club World Cup group stage victory againstAl Ain.[27]
On 14 August 2025, afterJack Grealish's departure on loan toEverton, Cherki was given thenumber 10 shirt.[28] On 16 August, Cherki scored on his Premier League debut for City, coming on as a substitute forErling Haaland in a 4–0 away victory overWolverhampton Wanderers in their season opener.[29] On 21 October, Cherki made hisUEFA Champions League debut for City as a substitute in a 2–0 awayleague phase victory overLa Liga sideVillarreal.[30] On 29 October, Cherki registered a goal and an assist on hisEFL Cup debut in a 3–1 away victory overEFL Championship sideSwansea City in thefourth round.[31] On 5 November 2025, Cherki scored his first career UEFA Champions League goal as a substitute forJérémy Doku in a 4–1 homeleague phase victory overBundesliga sideBorussia Dortmund.[32]
Cherki is eligible to play for either France, Algeria, or Italy – the latter two due to his parents' origin.[33] He played for theFrance national under-16 team twice in 2018, both of which werefriendly matches againstDenmark.[34]
In 2024, Cherki was named inFrance U23's squad for theOlympic Games hosted in France.[35] He appeared in three games during the tournament, starting in the last group stage game againstNew Zealand, and then appeared as a substitute in the semi-final game againstEgypt, and then in the final againstSpain, as France won the silver medal.[36] Being an Olympic medalist, Cherki was awarded theKnight of the National Order of Merit.[37]
Cherki debuted for theFrench senior squad on 5 June 2025, scoring and assisting in a 5–4 loss againstSpain in theNations League semi-finals.[38] Three days later, on 9 June, he earned his first start in a 2–0 victory againstGermany in the same tournament.[39]
| 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 | 7 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 3[c] | 1 | — | 11 | 3 | ||
| Total | 7 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 3 | 1 | 4 | 1 | 15 | 4 | ||
| Career total | 166 | 20 | 19 | 9 | 3 | 1 | 21 | 7 | 4 | 1 | 213 | 38 | ||
| National team | Year | Apps | Goals |
|---|---|---|---|
| France | 2025 | 4 | 1 |
| Total | 4 | 1 | |
| 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 |
Lyon
France Olympic
France
Individual
Orders
