Player Analysis: Tanguy Ndombélé

By the summer of 2016, Tanguy Ndombélé's chances of becoming a top-level footballer were slowly fading away. Born and raised in the Parisian suburbs to Congolese parents, Ndombélé had moved to Guingamp, at 14 years of age, but he was forced to depart Brittany after being denied a professional contract. He joined Amiens after the club's relegation to France's third tier, but manager Christophe Pélissier neglected to promote him from the reserves to the first team.

In search of greener pastures, Ndombélé trialled at a variety of clubs such as Auxerre, Caen and Angers, but he was rejected despite his obvious talent due to his struggles to stay fit and keep his weight down. At 19 years of age, it seemed his window of opportunity was running out.

Rather than bemoan his unfair situation, Ndombélé took a long look in the mirror and made a career-changing transformation. He returned to Paris, set a goal of losing 3lb each week and found a nutritionist. "Together we came up with a plan to get him fit," recalled his friend Nordine Baaroun to The Athletic. "After that, he went off and took responsibility. He got to grips with nutrition. He lost weight, and was able to play in Ligue 2."

Ndombélé quickly became a full-fledged starter under Pélissier, and with him in the line-up, Amiens finished second and won promotion to France's top flight. He would play just three matches in Ligue 1 for Les Licornes before joining Lyon on deadline day on a season-long loan. It was here in Lyon where Ndombélé would go from an unknown quantity to one of the hottest prospects in Europe.