The striker’s path to Easter Road has taken him from France to Switzerland and then on to Belgium before a loan move in the summer of 2022 brought Élie to Leith.
Within a few months, the Hibs forward has cemented himself as a fans favourite within Lee Johnson’s First Team squad; with his exciting pace, book of tricks, eye for goal and his unique celebrations – Youan certainly gets ‘bums off seats’ for want of a better phrase.
There is a refreshingly raw element to Youan’s play that is to be admired. The forward has untold belief in his own ability and has the confidence to go forward and take on his man at every possible opportunity.
This feature was first seen in HQ Magazine – click here to buy yours!
That confidence, Élie explains stems from his younger years, playing football on the backstreets in his hometown of Nantes, France.
“My first memories of kicking a ball have always been of playing in the street in my neighbourhood. Before I joined FC Nantes, I played futsal in the street with my friends – it was only futsal, no clubs or school football.
“Futsal has really helped me as a player. When I started in the Nantes Academy you have to learn how to play as a team, you need to learn from your coaches – how to pass, how to run, that kind of thing.
“In futsal, it is all about your skills – you can express yourself however you like, and it has really helped me develop as a player.”
Élie joined Nantes at the age of six, after stumbling across the opportunity to play football, despite having little to no experience of playing football for a team.
“I joined Nantes when I was six years old. I was very lucky with how it all came about. Normally you have a test or a trial, where you turn up at a training session and the coaches watch you play and train for a day.
“At the end of the day, they tell you – we will contact your Club if you are successful or not. I turned up to this trial day with my family, after we had seen an advert for it somewhere – I remember my sister my brother and my mother were all there with me.
This feature was first seen in HQ Magazine – click here to buy yours!
“I had a great day, I showed my skills and thought I played well. They told me at the end that they will send a letter to my Club – but my mum told them that I don’t have a team.
“They were so shocked and surprised, they told me to come to training the following Wednesday and I signed for Nantes there and then.”
Despite being part of one of the top Academies in France, Élie admits that in his early years within the system, he often found himself accidentally missing training. The reason? His beloved futsal, of course.
“When I was part of the Nantes Academy, I missed a lot of training sessions. I would be playing football in my neighbourhood and I would forget the time! My coaches would call my mum and ask ‘Where is Élie’, then my mum would have to come to find me and ask why I wasn’t at training.
“I would always forget – from the ages of 6-11 years old I played so much futsal after school and I would forget about training. If we had a spare 10 minutes, we would go onto the street and we would always lose track of time.”
As Élie matured through his teenage years, his punctuality began to improve, he tells us. As football became more and more serious, Élie began to develop both on and off the pitch.
“I am very grateful to Nantes for everything they did for me. I started playing professionally with them and that was my dream.
“When you come through the Academy from a young age – your goal is to become a First Team player. It was not easy, at the start they told us only one or two of us would get a professional contract out of a team of 30.
“They told us this from the beginning and we laughed at it – but it was true! Thankfully, I was one of two.
“For me, Nantes was the school of life. I learned so much there – I grew up there and became a man and a good player. On the pitch, I learned about football philosophy – how to pass and move.”
Read more about Elie Youan in HQ Magazine! CLICK HERE to buy yours!
HOW TO BUY
HQ magazine costs £5 to buy and you can get yours now!
Online - CLICK HERE to get yours!
Clubstore - The magazine will be available to buy from Hibs Clubstore on Albion Place
Around The Ground - There will be a number of matchday sellers located around the Stadium on home matchdays.
