For quite a few football fans Orleans Chomani is still a mystery.
But very soon there will be no one who does not know the 22-year-old French midfielder, who joins European champions Real Madrid.
But this is how it is when the most glorious team in the world pays you 100 million euros (80 million as transfer fees and another 20 million to be paid in the future according to achievements) - the fourth most expensive acquisition in Real history, after Gareth Bale, Cristiano Ronaldo and Eden Hazard.
Until a few days ago PSG still tried to snatch and transfer Chomani to it, but Florentino Perez, the president of Real, was unwilling to lose twice in a row to the French, after failing in his efforts to sign Killian Ambape.
Real's initial offer was 80 million euros (60 plus 20), but when PSG raised its offer to 100 million, the Spaniards had no choice but to offer the same amount to Monaco.
Chomani is the second acquisition of the European champions this summer, after adding German stopper Antonio Rodiger from Chelsea.
The Frenchman has signed for six years - until 2028, and he joins two other young midfielders who are already in the group: 19-year-old compatriot Eduardo Cambinga, and 23-year-old Uruguayan Federico Valverda.
The European champion's strategy is clear.
Although they are still among the best in the world, her three senior connections are no longer young.
Luca Modric will be 37 in September, Tony Cross will celebrate on January 33 and even the "young" Casimiro is already 30.
Modric will soon sign a contract extension for another year, but at the same time the team are not waiting too long;
They prepare themselves in advance for the coming years.
Just as Wolverde and Kambinga gradually integrated into the team, so will Chumani.
Still, it is not easy to make the move from Monaco to Real Madrid.
As far as the Spaniards are concerned Chomani is set to be Kasmiro's successor.
So far there has been no player on the squad who can replace the Brazilian perfectly.
The actor, the son of parents who emigrated from Cameroon, was born in Rouen in northern France and at the age of 11 joined the Bordeaux Academy.
When he was 18, he made his team uniform debut, playing in the media for two years.
His talent stood out in the distance and in January 2020 Monaco acquired him for 21.5 million euros.
In his two and a half years in the media Chomani has established his status as one of the most promising ties in Europe.
And last year he was named the young player of the year in the French league.
Pogba's heir
In France, Chumani is often compared to Paul Pogba.
In fact he is considered his successor, even though Pogba is only 29 years old and has many more years to play at the highest levels.
Eric Bedua, his first coach in Bordeaux, who also knows Pogba well, said: "The resemblance between him and Paul is amazing. In terms of power, technique and playing ability, they are almost identical. The difference is that Pogba has a lot more experience. But Orlean will be able to reach his level. ".
Almost all the top teams in the Premier League have groped about Tschumani in the last year, when Liverpool were the most serious, but in Monaco they preferred to wait because it was clear that his price would only go up.
And that is exactly what happened, also thanks to the fact that he was called up to the French national team.
He made his World Cup uniform debut in September 2021 and has since recorded 10 games and even scored one goal.
His place in the squad for the World Cup in Qatar is guaranteed, although it is difficult to see him in the first team, as coach Didier Deschamps is expected to prefer Anglo Canta alongside Pogba at the back link.
Choumani in the national uniform of France, Photo: EPI
And yet, Deschamps surprised when he placed Chomani in the starting lineup in the Nations League final in October against Spain.
This was only his second appearance in the national uniform.
But the young midfielder was not thrilled by the size of the class, playing all 90 minutes at San Siro, celebrating the 1: 2 victory and winning the title.
Aside from Paul Pogba (78) and Jules Conde (58), Chomani was the player who touched the ball the most (49), and was undoubtedly one of the finalists.
What makes it such a hot and expensive commodity, is the fact that it is the ultimate connection, the so-called "Box to Box".
On paper it is a defensive connection, with tremendous intensities and unending energy.
But he also has great game vision and he often participates in the attacking game.
Cesc Fabregas, the veteran Spanish midfielder who has played with Chomani in Monaco in recent years, concluded by saying: "Orléans is the perfect modern midfielder."
Monaco does business
The sale of Orleans Chomani to Real Madrid is another huge deal that Monaco have been making in recent years.
In fact, since winning the French Championship in 2017, the team has sold eight players for € 40 million and up.
The highlight was of course the sale of Killian Ambape to PSG for 180 million euros.
But let's not forget the sales of Thomas Lamar to Atletico Madrid at 70 million, of Benjamin Mandy to Manchester City at 57.5 million, and of Fabiano (to Liverpool) and Bernardo Silva (to Manchester City) at 50 million euros each.
Chomani (center) with Ambape (right) and Benzema, Photo: AFP
By the way, Monaco bought Chomani from Bordeaux two and a half years ago for 21.5 million euros and now sold him to Real Madrid for 100 million.
That means a net profit of almost 80 million euros!
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