Kays Ruiz-Atil Explained

Kays Ruiz-Atil
Birth Date:26 August 2002
Birth Place:Lyon, France
Height:1.68 m
Currentclub:Francs Borains
Position:Midfielder
Youthyears1:2006–2008
Youthclubs1:FC Gerland
Youthyears2:2009
Youthclubs2:Lyon
Youthyears3:2009–2015
Youthclubs3:Barcelona
Youthyears5:2015–2020
Youthclubs5:Paris Saint-Germain
Years1:2020–2021
Clubs1:Paris Saint-Germain
Caps1:7
Goals1:0
Years2:2021–2022
Clubs2:Barcelona B
Caps2:11
Goals2:0
Years3:2022–2023
Clubs3:Auxerre
Caps3:1
Goals3:0
Years4:2022–2023
Clubs4:Auxerre B
Caps4:1
Goals4:0
Years5:2024–
Clubs5:Francs Borains
Caps5:0
Goals5:0
Nationalyears1:2021–2022
Nationalteam1:France U20
Nationalcaps1:4
Nationalgoals1:0

Kays Ruiz-Atil (born 26 August 2002) is a French professional footballer who plays as a midfielder for Challenger Pro League club Francs Borains.

Early life

Kays Ruiz-Atil was born in Lyon[1] and grew up in the Gerland part of Lyon's 7th arrondissement[2] in a French and Moroccan family. His father Radouan Atil is Moroccan, and his mother Antonia Ruiz is French.[3]

Club career

Early career

Having first played for FC Gerland and Lyon,[4] Ruiz-Atil gained media attention in 2009 when he was recruited by Barcelona at only 7 years old.[5]

Paris Saint-Germain

After the Barcelona transfer ban due to illegal signings of underage players,[6] Ruiz-Atil moved to Paris Saint-Germain (PSG) in 2015.[7] But this move later proved to be controversial in the 2018 Football Leaks; there, the Parisian club was accused of having made an illegal transfer, with a suspicious employment of his father Radouan. This did not however lead to any legal procedure, PSG having seemingly received the approval of international institutions.[8] Before these controversies, Ruiz-Atil had signed a first "aspirant" contract with PSG in June 2017, locking his presence in the Paris Saint-Germain Academy.[9] On 31 August 2018, he signed his first professional contract with the club. In the following seasons, Ruiz-Atil played in the UEFA Youth League, under the supervision of Thiago Motta for the 2018–19 season, to whom he was quite close. At this time, his public image did not seem to have suffered greatly from the Football Leaks, Ruiz-Atil having for instance signed a big contract with Adidas.[10]

On 10 September 2020, Ruiz-Atil made his debut for Paris Saint-Germain in a 1–0 Ligue 1 loss to Lens.[11] He was part of the starting lineup for the match, but was substituted for Colin Dagba after 68 minutes of play.[12] For much of the 2020–21 season, Ruiz-Atil was training with and playing matches for PSG's first team; he made a total of seven appearances under the management of Thomas Tuchel in the first half of the season. However, in February 2021, one month after the arrival of Mauricio Pochettino as head coach, he was sent back to train with the under-19 squad, with his departure at the end of his contract in June 2021 becoming increasingly likely according to various reports.[13] On 25 May, he officially announced on social media his departure from PSG at the end of his contract.[14]

Barcelona B

On 12 July 2021, Ruiz-Atil returned to Barcelona, signing a three-year contract with an option for a further two years. He was assigned to the reserve team in the Primera División RFEF. His buyout clause was set at 50 million euros, and upon a promotion to the first team, the clause would have risen to 100 million.[15] He made his debut on 6 November in a 4–0 home win against Sevilla Atlético, coming on as an 81st-minute substitute for Antonio Aranda.[16] On 11 May 2022, Barcelona announced that they had terminated Ruiz-Atil's contract.[17]

Auxerre

On 28 June 2022, Ruiz-Atil signed with newly promoted Ligue 1 side Auxerre on a three-year contract. He chose the number 18 jersey at the club.[18] On 31 August, he made his debut for Auxerre in a 2–1 away defeat to Lyon, his hometown club.[19]

On 12 July 2023, Auxerre announced that they had terminated Ruiz-Atil's contract.[20]

Francs Borains

Having not featured in a match since November 2022, Ruiz-Atil joined Challenger Pro League side Francs Borains on a free transfer in May 2024.[21]

International career

Ruiz-Atil is eligible to play for France, Morocco, and Spain.[22]

Ruiz-Atil was selected with the Morocco U15 national team in November 2016.[23] He was also selected with the France U16 national team in August 2017,[24] and the France U19 national team in October 2020.[25]

On 3 September 2021, Ruiz-Atil made his debut for the France U20 national team in a 0–0 friendly draw against Norway.[26]

In November 2022, he chose to represent Morocco and was selected for the U23 Moroccan team.[27]

Career statistics

Appearances and goals by club, season and competition
ClubSeasonLeagueCupOtherTotal
DivisionAppsGoalsAppsGoalsAppsGoalsAppsGoals
Paris Saint-Germain2020–21Ligue 170000070
Barcelona B2021–221ª RFEF110110
Auxerre2022–23Ligue 1100010
Auxerre B2022–23National 21010
Career total2000000200

Notes and References

  1. Web site: 17 July 2015. Kays Ruiz : la pépite sur laquelle mise le PSG. Kays Ruiz: the gem on which PSG gambles. 23 November 2019. Le Point. fr.
  2. Web site: 26 June 2019. PSG - Kays Ruiz remercie le Barça, mais ne rêve que de Paris. PSG - Kays Ruiz thanks Barça, but only dreams of Paris. 23 November 2019. Goal.com. fr.
  3. Degorre. Damien. 12 September 2019. Les nouveaux prodiges (5/5) : Kays Ruiz-Atil, l'Espagnol de Paris. The new prodigies (5/5): Kays Ruiz-Atil, the Spanish of Paris. L'Équipe. fr. https://web.archive.org/web/20190912154047/http://lequipe.fr/Football/Article/Les-nouveaux-prodiges-du-foot-francais-5-5-kays-ruiz-atil-l-espagnol-de-paris/1058129. 12 September 2019. 23 November 2019. Alt URL
  4. News: Latour. Bertrand. 22 July 2015. Jeune prodige au PSG : "Arrêtez d'être pressés", lance le président de son ancien club. fr. Young prodigy at PSG: "Stop being in a hurry", says the president of his former club. RTL.
  5. 11 September 2009. Le Barça recrute le Lyonnais Kaïs, 7 ans. Le Monde. fr. 23 November 2019.
  6. Web site: Hamza Hizzir. 21 July 2015. Kays Ruiz, "le nouveau Messi" chipé au Barça par le PSG. Kays Ruiz, "the new Messi" taken from Barça by PSG. 23 November 2019. fr. LCI.
  7. Web site: 21 July 2015. Football : Kays Ruiz, le prodige que le PSG a chipé au Barça. Football: Kays Ruiz, the prodigy that PSG has taken from Barça. 23 November 2019. fr-FR. Le Parisien.
  8. Henry. Michel. 8 November 2018. Le fils, le père et le maire: l'improbable recrutement d'un futur Messi au PSG. The son, the father, and the mayor: the improbable recruitment of a future Messi at PSG. Mediapart. fr. 23 November 2019.
  9. Web site: Alexandre. Aflalo. 27 June 2017. PÉPITE : Le Paris Saint-Germain blinde l'un de ses U15. GEM: Paris Saint-Germain protects one of its U15. 24 November 2019. 90min.com. fr.
  10. 25 June 2019. Football : " mon rêve est de jouer en équipe première du PSG ", assure la pépite Kays Ruiz-Atil. Football: "my dream is to play in the first team of PSG", assures the gem Kays Ruiz-Atil. Le Parisien. fr-FR. 24 November 2019.
  11. Web site: Lens vs. Paris Saint-Germain - Football Match Line-Ups - September 10, 2020 - ESPN. 10 September 2020. ESPN.com. en.
  12. Web site: RC Lens - Paris Saint-Germain. 24 December 2020. SofaScore.
  13. Web site: Léger-Moëc. Aurélien. 4 February 2021. PSG : Kays Ruiz-Atil se dirige vers un départ !. PSG: Kays Ruiz-Atil heads toward a departure!. 4 February 2021. Foot Mercato. fr.
  14. Web site: Margueritte. Matthieu. 25 May 2021. Kays Ruiz-Atil annonce son départ du PSG. Kays Ruiz-Atil announces his departure from PSG. 25 May 2021. Foot Mercato. Fr.
  15. Web site: Barça B sign Kays Ruiz. 12 July 2021 . . 12 July 2021.
  16. Web site: Barça B 4-0 Sevilla Atlético: First half firepower. 6 November 2021 . FC Barcelona . 22 November 2021.
  17. Web site: 11 May 2022 . FC Barcelona no longer require the services of Kays Ruiz . 11 May 2022 . FC Barcelona.
  18. Web site: 28 June 2022 . Kays Ruiz-Atil, nouvelle recrue de l'AJ Auxerre . 28 June 2022 . . fr.
  19. Web site: 31 August 2022 . Lyon vs. Auxerre . 23 September 2022 . Soccerway.
  20. Web site: Alain . Alexandre . 2023-08-24 . Communiqué du club . 2023-10-22 . AJA . fr-FR.
  21. Web site: 24-25 KAYS RUIZ-ATIL A SIGNÉ !. Francs Borains. 30 May 2024. 31 May 2024. French.
  22. https://www.bladi.net/ambitions-kays-ruiz-atil-carriere-professionnelle,90292.html
  23. 16 March 2017. Football : Kays Ruiz, la pépite du PSG que l'Europe convoite. Football: Kays Ruiz, the gem of PSG that Europe desires. Le Parisien. fr-FR. 23 November 2019.
  24. Web site: 16 August 2017. Equipes de France - Débuts en Bleu. France teams - Debuts in Blue. 23 November 2019. fff.fr. fr.
  25. Web site: Cassoly. Marius. 9 October 2020. Matches annulés pour l'équipe de France U19 de Ruiz-Atil et Pembele après un cas de Covid-19. Matches cancelled for the France U19 team of Ruiz-Atil and Pembele after a case of Covid-19. 30 October 2020. Culture PSG. fr.
  26. Web site: U20 Friendlies 2021 » September » France - Norway 0:0. 9 October 2021. WorldFootball.net.
  27. https://rmcsport.bfmtv.com/football/ligue-1/auxerre-kays-ruiz-atil-a-tranche-pour-sa-selection-nationale_AV-202211090621.html