Lorenzo Adrien Hoareau (born 6 January 2007) is a Seychellois footballer who plays as a midfielder for the Saint Louis Suns United and the Seychelles national team.[2] In 2021, he became the youngest player from an African nation to score in a senior international fixture and second-youngest scorer worldwide.[3]
| Personal information | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Full name | Lorenzo Adrien Hoareau[1] | ||
| Date of birth | 6 January 2007 | ||
| Place of birth | Mont Fleuri, Seychelles | ||
| Position(s) | Midfielder | ||
| Team information | |||
Current team | Saint Louis Suns United | ||
| Number | 8 | ||
| Youth career | |||
| 2022–2023 | Foresters Mont Fleuri | ||
| Senior career* | |||
| Years | Team | Apps | (Gls) |
| 2023–2024 | Foresters Mont Fleuri | ||
| 2024– | Saint Louis Suns United | ||
| International career‡ | |||
| 2022 | Seychelles U17 | 3 | (1) |
| 2021– | Seychelles | 7 | (3) |
|
*Club domestic league appearances and goals ‡ National team caps and goals, correct as of 14:54, 28 June 2024 (UTC) | |||
Youth career
editIn October 2021 Hoareau was named captain of his school football team in Mont Fleuri.[4] In March 2022 he went on trial with Olympique de Marseille of the French Ligue 1.[5][6] He was invited back for another trial the following year after he narrowly missed out on being signed by the club on his first attempt.[7]
He returned to his Mont Fleuri school team in 2022. Following the season he was named the Seychelles school league's Player of the Year.[8] In 2022 Hoareau also competed in the inaugural season of the U17 National League as a member of Foresters Mont Fleuri. He was tied for the scoring title with Dahan Fanchette of La Passe FC with ten goals each. Foresters finished in third place in the league table. Following the season, Hoareau was nominated for the Best Player Award, ultimately finishing runner-up to Fanchette.[9]
Club career
editBy January 2023, Hoareau was appearing for Foresters Mont Fleuri in the Seychelles Premier League, making his senior top-flight debut during the 2023/2024 season.[10] By February 2024, Hoareau had moved to league rivals Saint Louis Suns United FC. He assisted on Charles Rakoto’s game-winning goal against Anse Réunion on matchday 12 to help the club move to the top of the table.[11] Hoareau was then named player of the round for matchday 15.[12] Saint Louis Suns FC went on to win the championship that season.[13] Following the campaign, Hoareau finished second in the Young Player of the Season fan voting, narrowly losing to Makhan Bristol-Cissoko of Foresters.[14] However, he won the Young Player of the Year award presented by the Seychelles Football Federation in June 2024.[15]
Following the 2024 season, Hoareau went on trial in Europe with Red Star Belgrade of the Serbian SuperLiga.[16] In October 2024, British newspaper The Guardian included Hoareau on its list of the sixty best young footballers from around the world.[17]
International career
editHoareau was called up to the senior national team for a friendly tournament in Comoros in September 2021.[18] He went on to make his senior international debut on 1 September 2021 in a match against the hosts. Three days later he earned his second cap and scored his first goal for the Seychelles in a 1–8 defeat to Burundi.[2] At 14 years and 241 days, he became the youngest player from an African nation to score in a senior international fixture and second-youngest scorer worldwide, behind Aung Kyaw Tun.[3][19][20]
In November 2022 Hoareau was named to the Seychelles’ under-17 squad for 2023 Africa U-17 Cup of Nations qualification.[21] He went on to score the Seychelles' only goal in the campaign, part of a 1–7 defeat to Zambia on 5 December 2022.[22][23]
Hoareau was recalled to the senior squad for 2026 FIFA World Cup qualification matches against the Ivory Coast and Kenya in November 2023. However, he was dropped from the squad because of injury.[24] He returned to the squad in June 2024 for qualifiers against the Gambia and Burundi. In the latter match, Hoareau scored his second senior goal off a perfect pass from Brandon Labrosse in the eventual 1–3 defeat.[25] Later that month, Hoareau was part of the Seychelles roster for the 2024 COSAFA Cup. He scored in the team's opening match against Lesotho to salvage a 1–1 draw with the last edition's runners-up.[26]
International goals
editScores and results list the Seychelles' goal tally first.[2]
| No | Date | Venue | Opponent | Score | Result | Competition |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | 4 September 2021 | Stade Omnisports de Malouzini, Moroni, Comoros |  Burundi |
1–6 | 1–8 | Friendly |
| 2. | 11 June 2024 | Berkane Municipal Stadium, Berkane, Morocco | Burundi |
1–3 | 1–3 | 2026 FIFA World Cup qualification |
| 3. | 28 June 2024 | Nelson Mandela Bay Stadium, Gqeberha, South Africa |  Lesotho |
1–1 | 1–1 | 2024 COSAFA Cup |
| Last updated 28 June 2024 | ||||||
International career statistics
edit- As of match played 28 June 2024[2]
| Seychelles national team | ||
|---|---|---|
| Year | Apps | Goals |
| 2021 | 2 | 1 |
| 2024 | 3 | 2 |
| Total | 5 | 3 |
References
edit- ^ "Players-H". SeySoccer. Retrieved 7 July 2023.
- ^ a b c d "NFT profile". National Football Teams. Retrieved 3 February 2022.
- ^ a b "Record de Precocite Pour Les Seychelles de Osama Haroun" (in French). actufoot.com. Retrieved 3 February 2022.
- ^ Gappy, Vidya. "Seychelles Schools' Premier League". nation.sc. Retrieved 3 February 2022.
- ^ "First Seychellois on European Trial in Marseille". Inside Seychelles. 19 May 2022. Retrieved 7 July 2023.
- ^ "For the first time ever, a Seychellois is currently on trial at Olympique de Marseille, one of the biggest clubs in France and Europe". Seychelles Football Federation. Retrieved 18 May 2022.
- ^ Simeon, Marla. "Seychelles gets first football institute". nation.sc. Retrieved 3 July 2022.
- ^ "Football: Seychelles Schools' Premier League". nation.sc. Retrieved 8 December 2022.
- ^ "Football: Gran Kaz U-17 National League". nation.sc. Retrieved 23 April 2023.
- ^ "Foresters 2-1 Anse Reunion-Seychelles Premier League - Round 7". seysoccer.com. 2 December 2023. Retrieved 11 June 2024.
- ^ "St Louis stun Anse Reunion to move to the top". The Nation. Retrieved 11 June 2024.
- ^ "Intelvision Player Of The Round 18 (Nominees)". seysoccer.com. 8 May 2024. Retrieved 11 June 2024.
- ^ "St Louis 2023-24 season champions". The Nation. Retrieved 11 June 2024.
- ^ "Intelvision Young Player of the Season 2023/24 – Makhan Bristol-Cissoko". seysoccer.com. 31 May 2024. Retrieved 11 June 2024.
- ^ Nicette, Sedrick. "Seychelles' Footballer of the Year 2023/24: St.Louis' Dean Mothe". Seychelles News Agency. Retrieved 17 June 2024.
- ^ "Lorenzo Hoareau-Next Generation 2024: 60 of the best young talents in world football". seysoccer.com. Retrieved 17 October 2024.
- ^ Christenson, Marcus; Bloor, Steven; Blight, Garry. "Next Generation 2024: 60 of the best young talents in world football". The Guardian. Retrieved 17 October 2024.
- ^ Duval, Roland. "Football: Comoros friendly tournament Seychelles humiliated by neighbours Comoros in opening match". nation.sc. Retrieved 3 February 2022.
- ^ "Age Truly Has No Effect on Greatness". Seychelles Football Federation. Retrieved 3 February 2022.
- ^ "FOOTBALL - NATIONAL TEAM ARRIVAL" (in French). TéléSesel. Retrieved 3 February 2022.
- ^ "Football: AUSC Region 5 Games Under-17 boys in search of African Cup qualification". nation.sc. Retrieved 8 December 2022.
- ^ "South Africa, Zambia book semifinal places in CAF U17 qualifier in Lilongwe". COSAFA. 5 December 2022. Retrieved 8 December 2022.
- ^ "Young Bullets thrash Seychelles to book semifinal spot". Zambian Football. Retrieved 8 December 2022.
- ^ "Seychelles National Team Diary – Live from Abidjan". seysoccer.com. 15 November 2023. Retrieved 20 November 2023.
- ^ "Burundi See Off Seychelles in Clinical Fashion". African Football. Retrieved 12 June 2024.
- ^ "COSAFA Cup: Hoareau Salvage Seychelles from Lesotho Claws". Africa Top Sports. 28 June 2024. Retrieved 28 June 2024.
External links
edit- Lorenzo Hoareau at National-Football-Teams.com
- Lorenzo Hoareau at Soccerway
- Lorenzo Hoareau at Global Sports Archive