*Club domestic league appearances and goals, correct as of 23:17, 26 April 2024 (UTC) ‡ National team caps and goals, correct as of 23:48, 26 March 2024 (UTC)
Camavinga began his career in
Ligue 1 with
Rennes, making his senior debut at the age of 16, and quickly establishing himself as a regular first-team player. In 2021, he signed for Real Madrid for a fee of €31 million, winning a
La Liga and
UEFA Champions League double in his first season.
Born in Angola with Angolan and Congolese descent, Camavinga moved to France at a young age, eventually representing the country at
under-21 level. He made his first senior appearance for the France national team in 2020 at the age of 17, becoming the nation's youngest debutant in over a century. He was part of the French squad that finished runners-up at the
2022 FIFA World Cup.
Early life
Camavinga was born in a
refugee camp in
Cabinda, Angola in 2002, to an Angolan-Congolese father and a Congolese mother who fled the
civil war in the Democratic Republic of the Congo.[7][8][9] He has five siblings. His family moved to France when he was two.[10] They eventually settled in
Fougères, where he grew up. He did
judo for a time before giving it up to focus solely on football. In 2013, the Camavingas' house was burnt down, destroying most of the family's property. Camavinga stated that this was a source of motivation that pushed him to pursue a career in football and help his family.[11]
Camavinga joined
Rennes' youth system when he was 11. He signed his first professional contract on 14 December 2018, at the age of 16 years and one month, becoming the youngest ever professional for the club at that time.[14] He made his professional debut for Rennes in a 3–3
Ligue 1 tie with
Angers on 6 April 2019,[15] becoming the youngest player to ever play for Rennes' first team,[16] at 16 years and six months old.
On 18 August 2019, Camavinga recorded an assist and was awarded the man of the match award in a 2–1 win against
Paris Saint-Germain.[17] Hence, he became the youngest player to make an assist in Ligue 1, aged 16 years and 281 days.[18] He then won the
UNFP Player of the Month award that month, to be the youngest player to achieve this feat.[19] He scored his first goal for Rennes in a 1–0 win against
Lyon on 15 December 2019, in the 89th minute of the game.[20]
On 31 August 2021,
Real Madrid announced the signing of Camavinga until 30 June 2027.[22] He made his debut in a 5–2 win over
Celta Vigo on 12 September 2021, in which he scored a goal shortly after coming off the bench.[23] Three days later, on 15 September 2021, he made his Champions League debut for Real Madrid, coming on as a substitute for
Luka Modrić in the 80th minute and assisting
Rodrygo for the winner against
Inter Milan.[24]
On 5 March 2022, during a league match against
Real Sociedad, Camavinga struck a game-changing goal. Five minutes before halftime, he launched a powerful 25-meter shot with his left foot that rebounded off the post and into the net, helping level the score in a match that Los Blancos would ultimately win 4–1 at home.[25][26]
On 7 November 2023, Real Madrid announced the extension of Camavinga's contract, which is to remain effective until 30 June 2029.[29][30]
International career
On 31 October 2019, Camavinga obtained
French nationality, benefiting from the collective effect connected to the
naturalization of his father.[31][32] Until then, Camavinga had been a national of the Democratic Republic of the Congo.[33] Six days later, he was selected to represent
France's under-21 team for games against Georgia and Switzerland, after
Matteo Guendouzi was called up to the senior team.[34]
On 27 August 2020, Camavinga was called up to play on
France's senior team after
Paul Pogba was sidelined by a positive
COVID-19 test. He became, in the process, the youngest player to be called up to the French senior team since
René Gérard in 1932, who was only 17 years, nine months and 17 days old.[35] On 8 September, he debuted in a 4–2 win against
Croatia in the
UEFA Nations League, replacing
N'Golo Kanté midway through the second half.[36] In doing so he became the youngest player to play for the France national team, following
Maurice Gastiger in 1914 at 17 years, nine months, and 29 days old.[37]
On 7 October 2020, Camavinga made his first start for France in a 7–1 win against
Ukraine where he scored his first international goal, opening the scoring with an overhead kick. This made him the youngest goalscorer for France since
Maurice Gastiger in 1914.[38]