The 16-year-old likened to Lamine Yamal catching the eye in the Champions League | OneFootball

Mezian Mesloub, 16, marked his Champions League debut for Lens at Slavia Prague on Thursday, coming on with his side trailing 1-0 and delivering an eye-catching 29-minute cameo.

According to Superdeporte, the left-footed winger also has Portuguese nationality through his mother and Algerian through his father, and he caught the eye with his ball carrying, dribbling and vision.

He had already featured for the first team last season, debuting in Ligue 1 against Nantes and scoring after 11 minutes.

Internationally, he represented France under-16s in 2024, then switched to Portugal in 2025 and has since appeared for their under-17s.

Lens are already nurturing him for the long term, and signs point to increased first-team involvement. More Champions League nights could follow if his progress continues.

Source: Superdeporte

“Artificial intelligence was used to assist in creating this article based on reporting from the original source quoted.”