Leny Yoro

Lille

2022–23: Debut as a professional player

Yoro debuted with Lille reserve team in 2022, and quickly signed his first professional contract with the club on 10 January 2022. He made his professional debut with Lille in a 3–1 Ligue 1 win over Nice on 14 May 2022 in the penultimate match of the season. At 16 years six months and one day of age, Yoro is the second youngest Lille player, behind Joël Depraeter-Henry and taking the second place from Eden Hazard. In early August, he extended his contract with his club until June 2025. The following season, he became a permanent member of the professional squad named to play in the 2022–23 Ligue 1. On 17 September, he played his first professional match as a starter in a 2–1 home win against Toulouse. His then-manager Paulo Fonseca stated: "Leny deserved this start, given the way he worked with the team. He deserved to have an opportunity. He had a good match. [...] Being 16 years old, he gave a solid performance, with a lot of character." Fourth centre-back behind veteran and captain José Fonte, Tiago Djaló and Alexsandro, he ended the season with 13 Ligue 1 appearances, including 8 starts, and a total of more than 750 minutes played.

2023–24: Breakthrough and first European matches

For his second whole season as professional, Yoro became a full-time starter as a right centre-back and played 32 matches out of 34 Ligue 1 fixtures. He was the second most used French championship player with a…

Yoro is a youth international for France, having played for every France youth team from the France U17s to the France U23s. In August 2021, he began his international career when he made an appearance for France U17s, at the age 15 years 9 months and 8 days. The following year, he was called up to the France under-18 team, playing his first match against Estonia on 21 September 2022 and making five appearances in total at this level. Yoro then played at under-19 level when he was called up for UEFA European Championship qualifying competition in 2023. He made his debut against Norway on 25 March. The same year, he quickly took a step up and was called-up to the France under-21 squad by coach Thierry Henry. He earned his first cap on 7 September in a 4–1 home win against Denmark at 17 years 9 months and 25 days old. He then played three games in the 2025 UEFA European Championship qualification.. Leny Yoro decided he wanted to change international allegiance to Ivory Coast, because his father is Ivorian On 22 March 2024, Yoro made his debut at under-23 level in a friendly match against Ivory Coast in the wake of the 2024 Summer Olympics in France, starting alongside his then-Lille teammates Lucas Chevalier and Bafodé Diakité. Next month, he was called up for the Olympics football tournament in a preliminary list but was eventually retained by Lille due to the 2024–25 UEFA Champions League qualifying phase and play-off round played in August before the start of the Ligue 1…

A right-footed 1.90 m (6 ft 3 in) tall defender, Yoro is a slender and agile centre-half who can play in both a four-defender and three-back formation, on both the right and the left of the back-two or three. He has been praised for his ball-playing ability and technical composure, his defensive positioning and playing intelligence. A quick player with long legs, he is able of making chase down tackles, with "a habit of prodding the ball away seemingly from out of nowhere either when an attacker is attempting to shield or looking to run in behind." He often wins defensive duels, having good defence rates and being difficult to dribble. His mindset clearly appears as a key in his precocity. The Athletic emphasised Yoro's "calm and composed performances, which have quickly taken him to the top" during his first professional seasons and his Manchester United debut starts. A man rather quiet and reserved in life, Yoro is seen as a leader on the pitch. For example, he was the captain of his under-13 team. One of his youth coaches remembered: “As soon as he stepped onto the field, he grew in stature. I put him at right-back, up front, in every position, he was immense. On the field, he was a winner, very important for communication and relationships with others.” His coaches often praise his personality, his mature character, and he is frequently compared to Raphaël Varane or Rio Ferdinand.

Leny Jean-Luc Yoro was born on 13 November 2005 in Saint-Maurice, France and spent his first years in the suburbs of Paris. He is the son of Alain Yoro, a former footballer of Ivorian descent who played for Lille reserve team, and Flore Baugnies who is of Northern French ancestry. Yoro is named after Lenny Kravitz, one of his mother's favourite singers. He has three younger brothers: Roméo, Eden and Esteban, of which two play within Lille youth system. At the age of five, he started playing football at Alfortville where he stayed one season before moving with his family in the Lille area. He then pursued his football learning in Villeneuve-d'Ascq, where he grew up after his parents separated, and finally joined Lille's youth system in 2017. Ten years later, at 15 years old, he got his start in the UEFA Youth League, coming off the bench in the 79th minute against Sevilla on 20 October 2021. He hence chose to wear the number 15 shirt when he then turned professional.