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Profile

Name: Yassine Benzia

Age: 18

Club: Olympique Lyonnais

Nationality: France

Skilled poacher

36 goals in 27 games is a remarkable return for a striker at any level. Patrick Gonfalone recognized that and used it as impetus to select Yassine Benzia for the U17 Fifa World Cup in Mexico last summer. It proved a profitable gamble as Benzia finished with the Silver Boot as the tournament’s second-leading scorer, runner-up only to Ivorian (and now Tottenham) sensation Souleymane Coulibaly.

For Yassine it must have all happened so quickly. 2 years ago he was a mere standout for French minnows US Quevilly. He is now considered one of France’s, and Lyon’s, finest prospects.

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August 4, 2012

Benzia has been in North America on tour with the first-team. At the end of July, he got a chance to play in the French Super Cup vs. Montpellier. He impressed to say the least. His performance in video format

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November 5, 2012

Yassine finds himself in an interesting situation. He bobs in and out of the first-team. Occasionally coming on to provide a spark for Les Gones. This video that I made included a few Ligue 1 appearances (Nice and Bordeaux) and a Europa League appearance in Israel. There are also a few highlights from his cameo in the French Super Cup.

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