Leny Yoro

Leny Olivier Yoro (born 13 November 2005) is a French professional footballer who plays as a centre-back for Premier League club Manchester United. He is widely considered one of the best prospects and young centre-backs in the world.

A Lille academy graduate, Yoro joined the club as a child and then became one of the youngest first-team players when he made his professional Ligue 1 debut in May 2022, at the age of 16 years, 6 months and 1 day. After a first senior season in which he was mainly used as a substitute, he became one of Lille's cornerstones as a teenager in his second full season and made his European debut in August 2023. In 2024, he signed for Manchester United for a fee of €62 million (£52.2 million), making him the most expensive player aged 18 or younger and one of the most expensive centre-backs in history.

Yoro represented France at under-17, under-18, under-19, under-21 and under-23 levels.

Early life
Leny Yoro was born on 13 November 2005 in Saint-Maurice, France and spent his first years in Alfortville. He is of Ivorian descent through his father. 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, and finally joined Lille's youth system in 2017.

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.

Next season, he became a permanent member of the professional squad named to play in the 2022–23 Ligue 1. For his first professional jersey number, he opted for number 15. 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 total of 3690 minutes in all competitions at only 18 years old. On 24 August 2023, Yoro scored his first goal at the club in a 2–1 victory over Rijeka, in the first leg of the 2023–24 Conference League play-off round. A month later, he scored his first Ligue 1 goal for Lille with a cross-shot volley in a 2–2 away draw against Rennes. He scored his first goal before his supporters at Stade Pierre-Mauroy with a header on 12 November 2023 in a 1–1 draw against Toulouse FC. In April 2024, he started and played every minute in the UEFA Europa Conference League quarter-finals two legs against Aston Villa in which Lille nearly made it to the semi-finals but lost on penalties. Finishing with his team in 4th place, he contributed to the successful domestic season and the new European qualification of the Mastiffs which is led to play the 2024–25 UEFA Champions League qualifying phase and play-off round.

According to studies published in October 2023, Leny Yoro is the second defender to win the most duels among all the players playing in Europe this season, across all age groups with 89% of defensive duels won. Yoro was also the best player under 23 in defensive ground duels won. Alongside Virgil van Dijk, he was the only defender across all European leagues to be both a top 10% player in defensive duel success rate and top 10% in aerial duel success rate. As of March 2024, Yoro was also one of the Ligue 1 best passing players with a total of 1537 passes made – the seventh in the league across all positions – and a completion rate of 92.3%.

At the end of the season, Yoro was nominated for the 2023–24 Ligue 1 Young Player of the Year and elected in the Team of the Year. Widely regarded as one of the best young prospects and a future world class great defender,  he stated after the UNFP awards ceremony: "It’s a bit of a childhood dream that has come true. It ends a awesome season that we had with the supporters, the staff and the team which has been incredible. [...] It’s an honour to have so much attention. When you're a footballer, you have to expect it a little. We know that our performances are examined. Afterwards, I play my football. If there are people watching, it's honestly positive for me and it doesn't impact me on the pitch in any way. I play like I've always played, no matter who is watching me or will watch me."

Manchester United
On 18 July 2024, Yoro officially signed for Premier League major club Manchester United on a five-year contract running until 2029 with the option of an additional year. According to various columnists and reporters, the financial details of the transfer include an initial and base fee of €62 million (£52.2 million) and a maximum of €8 million (£6.7 million) add-ons depending on sporting conditions. This move made him the most expensive player aged 18 or younger and one of the most expensive centre-backs in history. His contract includes an annual salary around £5.9 million gross plus £1.7 million in possible bonus payments per season. He was given the squad number 15 – the same one he had in Lille – which was previously worn by club legend Nemanja Vidić. Before eventually choosing to join Manchester United, Yoro was also targetted by Real Madrid, Paris Saint-Germain and England rivals Liverpool.

International career
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.

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 season.

Personal life
After studying within Lille academy, Yoro graduated from high school in management sciences.

Honours
Individual
 * UNFP Ligue 1 Team of the Year: 2023–24