Jean-Mattéo Bahoya: French wonderkid | OneFootball

A football career in black and white, part of the class of 2005 and symbolic of the French influence in Frankfurt: introducing Jean-Mattéo Bahoya.

“Half my life in black and white”

“I’ve worn the black and white colours for half my life,” said Jean-Mattéo Bahoya upon leaving Angers SCO. “It’s difficult to express all my attachment and gratitude to this club in a few lines. From the bottom of my heart I’d like to thank all my coaches, the professional staff, the management and my teammates who have contributed to my development and given me the best possible conditions.”

One of the hottest French talents Eintracht board member for sport Markus Krösche is a big fan of the 18-year-old from France: “He’s certainly one of the most promising French talents at the moment, so we’re very happy that Jean-Mattéo, with his family, has chosen us and signed a contract until 2029.”

Frankfurt is becoming an increasingly popular destination for young players from France: Éric Junior Dina Ebimbe and Randal Kolo Muani in 2022, Farès Chaibi and Niels Nkounkou in August 2023 and, since 25 January, Jean-Mattéo Bahoya – a player with “incredible ability”, according to Krösche: “He’s a very quick, technically good player and a very good dribbler. He’s very good one-v-one, has great speed and can play on the wings as well as in an attacking midfield role.” The tricky speedster sees himself “preferably on the left wing. I’m a very quick and energetic player and I try to cause a lot of trouble with my abilities.”

Class of 2005: in prominent company

When he first progressed from the academy to the first team at Angers, the club were playing in Ligue 1. They have been playing a level lower this season following relegation, but that’s irrelevant to France U19 manager Bernard Diomède, who has been regularly selecting Bahoya for training courses and international matches for months. These call-ups are even more impressive given that this team is made up of the gifted class of 2005, who won the 2022 European Under-17 Championship. This includes current Leipzig player El Chadaille Bitshiabu, Bayern Munich’s Mathys Tel, PSG’s rising star Warren Zaïre-Emery as well as Elyaz Zidane and Aaron Malouda, two sons of former world stars, to name just half.

Bahoya, who was born in the Paris suburb of Montfermeil, now wants to continue his development at Eintracht – and the move from the Maine to the Main also seems the logical step for him. It’s telling that despite leaving them in the middle of a promotion battle, the youngster’s former teammates have wished him all the best. “They congratulated me on moving to a different level,” revealed Bahoya with pride. “They were really pleased for me and wished me lots of success.”

Salut, Jean-Mattéo!