Teenage French forward Tidiam Gomis has runners-up medals from the U17 Euros and World Cup, plays like Kingsley Coman, and is the youngest professional in the history of Caen, the French club owned by Kylian Mbappé - bundesliga.com tells you all about the new RB Leipzig prodigy.

Stats correct as of 4 February 2025

Tidiam Gomis

Age: 18 (born 8 August 2006)
Club: RB Leipzig
Position: Forward
Country: France U19 (11 caps/4 goals)

Key stats

Born a 45-minute drive west of Paris in Meulan-en-Yvelines, the same birthplace as Senegal international forward Mbaye Niang, Mali midfielder Abdoulaye Doucouré and Real Madrid's France full-back Ferland Mendy, Gomis joined the Caen youth academy aged 12. Picked out as a potential star, he became the youngest player to turn professional at the Normandy club when he signed a three-year contract aged just 16. He was even part of the club's U19 side - playing with players three years older than him - that reached the final of France's prestigious youth competition, the Gambardella Cup, in 2020/21.

He was one of France's U17 Euro 2023 runners-up, who missed out on the title to Germany in Hungary after a penalty shoot-out, before his first-team debut in August 2023. He also shrugged off the disappoinment of missing the decisive penalty as Germany again pipped France - this time in the FIFA U17 World Cup in Indonesia in December 2023 - as he went on to make 16 appearances in Ligue 2 that campaign. He also scored his first two senior goals on the very last day of the season in a 3-0 home win over Valenciennes, setting another club record, having achieved the feat aged just 17 years and nine months.

Caen, which was bought by Madrid superstar and France captain Mbappé in September 2024, struggled badly in the first half of 2024/25, but Gomis' star continued to rise. "I wouldn't say that I've changed status," said the youngster, who featured in all of the opening 20 Ligue 2 games of the season, starting 12 of them, before his winter move to Germany. "But as soon as the coach counts on me, I do my best to repay that faith and help the team."

Tidiam Gomis is an old-school winger in the style of Bayern Munich's Kingsley Coman - IMAGO/Eurasia Sport Images / SPP

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Plays a bit like: Kingsley Coman

Gomis may be young, but he is an old-fashioned winger. "Hugging the touchline is something I like, especially on the left," he explained, though he is naturally right-footed, like Bayern Munich man and France international Coman.

And also like his compatriot, he is selfless, working just as hard without the ball as with it. "It's perfectly normal to defend when you play in my position," he said. "That's what the coach asks for, that's what everyone asks for. It's part of football, so I do it."

Did you know?

Caen have a history of turning out great players. How about this for a list of those who first made their name there: ex-Arsenal, Chelsea and France defender William Gallas, Bayern's Raphaël Guerreiro, and 2018 World Cup winners N'Golo Kanté and Thomas Lemar. There is Niang too, who signed his first contract with Caen aged 17. 

Tidiam Gomis is the latest young talent to make his name at Caen - IMAGO/FEP

While Niang may not have had the career expected of him when he then joined AC Milan, Gomis is determined to make the most of his. "If I don't become a footballer, I've no Plan B. I'm focussed on my goal, I'm totally into my football," he said in August 2022. "The phrase that sums me up is, 'No limits'. You mustn't put any barriers in your way. You have to go for it and do what you have to do."

What they're saying

“I'm very happy to be joining RB Leipzig. The club have a great reputation internationally, and particularly in France, and they offer young players the chance to play regularly, improve their skills and be successful." - Gomis

"The question I get asked often is, 'Are you managing to pick yourself back up?' Yes, I'm not going to get fixated on it. I get my head back up and get back to work. I'm disappointed to have missed that penalty, but that's football. The greatest players have missed them too." - Gomis' reaction to missing his U17 World Cup spot-kick

"Our fans can look forward to a quick and skilful winger who can feature in a variety of positions in attack. Despite his young age, he has already been able to collect experience playing at the professional level and is a key figure within the France U19s. He's a very exciting player and we have high hopes for him." - Leipzig sporting director Marcel Schäfer

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