Eliesse Ben Seghir: Why Monaco's 'little prince' is attracting attention from Barcelona

Ben Seghir was born in 2005, in the coastal town of Saint Tropez on the French Riviera, and raised by Moroccan parents. He started his football journey at the age of five, joining local club SC Cogolinois, where he spent the next six years honing his skills.

In 2016, the youngster was snapped up by Frejus St-Raphael, the amateur side that once housed former France international Adil Rami, and he soon started attracting attention from bigger clubs. Nice were the first to watch Ben Seghir in action, having already drafted his older brother Salim into their youth ranks.

"He made me want to play football," Ben Seghir told Onze Mondial when asked about his relationship with Salim. "I followed him everywhere, even to his trials. That motivated me to chase my dream." However, he would not end up following his brother to Nice.

According to France Bleu, Nice considered Eliesse to be "too frail" to reach the highest level of the game. It was a damaging blow, but far from a decisive one, as Ben Seghir continued to impress upon his return to Frejus St-Raphael, and he was rewarded for his persistence when Monaco came calling in 2020.

Monaco invited Ben Seghir to join their academy, confident that his technical ability far outweighed any physical concerns. Two years later, he signed his first professional contract with the Ligue 1 giants at just 17, having been quickly promoted to the club's 'Elite Group' usually reserved for players aged between 19 and 21.

It would appear that Nice put their faith in the wrong brother. Salim, who is two years older than Eliesse, failed to make the grade at Nice or Marseille, and is now plying his trade in Switzerland.

Ben Seghir's rapid rise was made all the more remarkable by the fact he had to deal with the death of his father during the Covid-19 pandemic, which he described as an "immense shock" in an interview with Telefoot. The tragedy only spurred Ben Seghir on, however, as he set about honouring his father's memory by carving out a name for himself at one of the biggest clubs in French football.

Philippe Clement handed Ben Seghir his senior debut for Monaco in a Europa League clash with Red Star Belgrade in November 2022, and the following month he made his Ligue 1 bow away at Auxerre. Ben Seghir came on at half-time for Wissam Ben Yedder with the scoreline locked at 1-1, and delivered a history-making performance.

The teenager put Monaco 2-1 up with a cool finish in the 57th minute, only for a Youssouf Fofana own goal to bring Auxerre back into the game 10 minutes later. A draw seemed inevitable heading into the final stages, but Ben Seghir would have the final say in spectacular fashion; he picked up the ball on the left wing before cutting inside and unleashing an unstoppable shot into the far corner of the net from 20 yards out, stunning the home crowd into silence.

Monaco held on for a 3-2 win as Ben Seghir became the youngest player to score a Ligue 1 brace in 75 years, much to the delight of his manager. "It wasn’t a surprise to me because he shows great things in training," Clement told reporters. "Eliesse is only 17 years old, but when you prove so much during the sessions, age doesn’t matter. He deserved his chance."

Ben Seghir would go on to finish his first full season in the Monaco first team with eight goal contributions across 25 appearances, prompting fans to dub him the 'little prince'.

Unfortunately, Ben Seghir was not able to make any more great strides forward in the 2023-24 campaign, which saw Adi Hutter drafted in to replace Clement as head coach. A combination of shoulder, hip and hamstring injuries restricted the talented teenager to just 14 appearances across all competitions, which led him to hire a personal physiotherapist.

Ben Seghir did make one significant career move, though, opting to switch allegiance from France to Morocco, after representing Les Bleus at Under-20, U19 and U18 level. "I have had the chance to play for two big footballing nations," he said before making his debut for the Atlas Lions in a friendly against Angola in March. "It was a difficult choice, but one that I deeply considered. I made this choice because of my origins; my parents are Moroccan."

The Monaco starlet helped Morocco's U23s win bronze at the Paris Olympics, and has since become a regular in Walid Regragui's senior line up. Ben Seghir's emergence at international level has coincided with a return to full fitness at Monaco in 2024-25, as he's taken his game to new heights under the tutelage of Hutter.

Ben Seghir has made his mark on both domestic and European stages, notching seven goals and four assists in 23 appearances. Most notably, he was one of Monaco's standout players in a stunning upset victory over Barcelona in his first-ever Champions League outing, which he handled with a maturity well beyond his years. Speaking alongside fellow youngster Maghnes Akliouche after the game, Ben Seghir said to the media: "He and I play without pressure. We don’t feel this expectation around us, we play freely and we perform well."

Ben Seghir has added another dimension in attack for Monaco, who may already have conceded the Ligue 1 title to Paris Saint-Germain, but still have a good chance of qualifying for the Champions League last-16 and will also be eyeing a strong run in the Coupe de France after seeing off L'Union Saint Jean in the round of 64 - with Ben Seghir among the scorers in a 4-1 victory.

"He always plays forward. He is a player who is not afraid," Morocco boss Regragui said when quizzed on Ben Seghir's development in the last international break. "These are rare players, everything will be played out in his head." That fearlessness is what makes Ben Seghir so thrilling to watch.

The teenage winger is versatile enough to play anywhere across the frontline, but causes the most damage from the left, and boasts a rocket for a right foot. He's already an accomplished technician with superb dribbling skills and vision, while he also boasts an explosive turn of pace that makes him almost impossible to pin down.

Ben Seghir's movement off the ball is also impressive; he constantly looks to occupy pockets of space and has a knack for timing late runs into the box. No other player in the Monaco squad is more comfortable on the ball than Ben Seghir either, and he will often be the one to open up tight games with a moment of magic.

To reach the next level, Ben Seghir will have to improve his decision-making, as Hutter has alluded to. "His dribbling is incredible, but against a midfield block, it's sometimes dangerous," says the Monaco boss. "Eliesse knows that. He has to learn when to dribble, when to do a one-two, when to serve a team-mate in a better position."

Monaco are left susceptible on the counter on the occasions Ben Seghir picks the wrong option. That is a common trait in young players eager to prove themselves, and to become more efficient, Ben Seghir will need to rein in his natural instincts slightly.

The Stade Louis II academy graduate has had some trouble meeting Hutter's defensive demands since the manager's arrival last year, too, though he has been working hard on that facet of his game in recent months, and it's starting to pay off. "He is on the right track, in good shape, and helps the team defend well," Hutter has said. "He has already taken a very big step in this direction."

It's no surprise that Ben Seghir's idol is Neymar; he carries the ball with the same low centre of gravity as the Brazilian and shares his penchant for using eye-catching tricks to evade defenders. But the man who most readily springs to mind when watching Ben Seghir is Hakim Ziyech: the former Ajax and Chelsea star who is widely regarded as one of Morocco's greatest-ever players.

At his peak, Ziyech was a masterful playmaker with incredible balance. He seemed to glide across the pitch in full flow and could put the ball on a dime for his team-mates from anywhere on the pitch.

Ben Seghir accelerates away from his markers in a similar way, and just like Ziyech, looks to cut inside to wreak havoc at every available opportunity. Ziyech didn't quite live up to expectations at Chelsea and now plies his trade at Galatasaray, but he made everything look easy when firing on all cylinders and was capable of deciding games on his own. Ben Seghir is a magician in the same mould, and has the potential to replace Ziyech as Morocco's next talisman.

Ben Seghir signed a new contract in January that ties him to Monaco until 2027, but that was simply a move to protect his value. Transfermarkt estimates that the attacker is now worth €30m (£25m/$31m), and that number will only continue to rise through to next summer if he avoids any more serious injuries.

The Morocco international hasn't outgrown Monaco yet, but it's only a matter of time, with Hutter saying of the teenager's potential in November: "He has a very rare profile and has everything to have a great career."

Monaco have given Ben Seghir the perfect platform to make a name for himself, and he still has a vital role to play for the club in the second half of the season, but they won't stand in his way if one of the world's biggest clubs comes calling in 2025. That could very well be Barcelona, who have reportedly cooled interest in Athletic Club's Nico Williams and may seek a cheaper alternative to bolster their options out wide.

For now, though, Ben Seghir is giving nothing away. "My goal is to stay consistent and help my team," he replied to Onze Mondial when quizzed on his future. "The rest will follow." It will be fascinating to see what "the rest" entails for this special young footballer.