PROFILE | Lucas Chevalier’s rise halted by difficult start at PSG | OneFootball

France have booked their ticket for their eighth straight FIFA World Cup in North America next summer, and one player who will be looking to make his mark for Les Bleus in the biggest tournament in sport is Lucas Chevalier.

Chevalier initially honed his footballing skills with SC Coquellois and AS Marck before joining Lille in 2014, where he spent seven years until joining Ligue 2 outfit Valenciennes on loan. He then returned to Lille and emerged as the No.1 in goal following Mike Maignan’s departure to Milan, but it wasn’t until the 2024/25 season that Chevalier truly established himself as one of the top netminders in France. After standing on his feet and spearheading Lille to famous Champions League wins against both Madrid giants, Chevalier was rewarded with a maiden call-up to France’s senior team in November 2024. He finally made his senior debut on November 16 in a 3-1 win against Azerbaijan in their final World Cup qualifier.

Chevalier’s role as No.1 under threat?

2025 has been a year of firsts for Chevalier, who ranked second in the 2024/25 Ligue 1 season with 11 clean sheets, as well as third for fewest goals conceded per game (1.1), fourth for goals prevented (8.42), and who won the ​​UNFP Ligue 1 Goalkeeper of the Year: and was named to the UNFP Ligue 1 Team of the Year for 2024/25. These stellar displays at LOSC would earn the attention of Paris Saint-Germain, who signed him to a five-year deal in August for a fee of €40m plus an additional €15m in potential bonuses. Four days later, Chevalier made his PSG debut in Udine and saved a penalty in their comeback win against Tottenham Hotspur in the UEFA Super Cup to secure the first-ever trophy of his senior career.

Fast-forward four months, and it’s fair to say that Chevalier hasn’t had the easiest of beginnings in La Ville Lumière. Tasked with the pressure of not only playing for one of the biggest teams in Europe, but also replacing a world-class goalkeeper in Gianluigi Donnarumma, Chevalier hasn’t quite managed to live up to expectations so far. He was culpable for the sole goal of their Le Classique defeat to Marseille after failing to sprint off his line and deal with the danger in time, and he was caught out again after allowing a seemingly routine shot from Ethan Mbappé to skirt past him, allowing Lille to snatch a point from the death. His No.1 spot at the Parc is now in question.

GFFN | Zach Lowy