It’s a new era for Manchester United and the first signs of progress under the INEOS regime are already showing with the signing of promising centre-back Leny Yoro. The 18-year-old was one of the most sought-after talents in Europe, with Real Madrid and Liverpool monitoring him before Yoro ultimately signed with United. Now, with his debut in the bag against the Rangers, the performance showed why United showed trust in his young shoulders, the same shoulders that is determined to make his family proud.
Born in Saint-Maurice in November 2005, Leny Yoro is yet to turn 19. After spending five years in Alfortville, Yoro moved to Lille with his parents. Yoro’s mother, Flore Baugnies, is a French woman, while some sources indicate her Yemeni lineage.
Leny’s mother is a devoted Christian, and she instilled the values of Christianity in her sons. She currently lives in Villeneuve-d’Ascq according to her Facebook profile. The pictures also show her dedication to her 4 sons’ careers in football. She often posts training pictures of her sons from the academy grounds with constant shouts of encouragement to the Yoro brothers.
According to Le Populaire, Yoro’s father is the former Lille player, Alain Yoro. Senior Yoro played for the reserve team of Lille in the late ’80s and ’90s. In the late 90s, he moved to Paris Saint Germain, where he played as a forward. His jersey number 15 is the reason why Leny chose to play with that number despite being offered to wear numbers 4 and 5, the traditional numbers for a central defender.
Alain is of Ivorian descent, hence Leny Yoro will be eligible to play for the Ivory Coast as well, putting him in the French-African ethnic group. Leny had already made his debuts for France U17, U18, U19, U21 and U23 teams, where he worked closely with Thierry Henry. And given his immense talent, that’s a long shot as the France Football Federation will not make the same mistake they did with Aymeric Laporte.
According to La Voix de Sports, the best advice Yoro’s mother gave him was to not do anything stupid and, so far, the teenager has lived by it. After making his professional debut in 2022, Yoro dedicated it to his father. ‘My father was proud to see his son on TV playing his first professional match. I made my parents happy. We know that we are seen when we play a Ligue 1 Uber Eats match.
I was under a bit of pressure because you have to do well. It was a first step and it went well. Playing in Ligue 1, in one of the best championships in the world, is a dream come true. But there is still work to be done. I have a good reading of the game and technical qualities but I still have points to improve. My desire is to continue to earn my place in the first team at Lille. I want to continue my learning by moving forward calmly,’ Yoro said after his debut.
That moment was the culmination of Yoro’s journey, which started at a young age. The French wonderkid started playing at the age of six with UJA Alfortville. After a few months, Yoro’s family moved to Lille and from there, he never looked back. ‘At first, it was a hobby and now, it has become my job,’ Yoro said in an interview in 2022.
His brothers are also following in his footsteps. Yoro has 3 younger brothers; Romeo, Eden, and Esteban Yoro. Romeo is part of Valenciennes FC, and the other two are in Lille’s youth academy. Romeo has already made quite a presence on social media with almost 2k followers on IG in two separate accounts. He often provides behind-the-scenes pictures and photos of his brother’s matches on a highlight chain. Eden also has almost 1.5k followers and Esteban has 716 as of the time of writing.
There is one common theme amongst all the brothers, and that is the result of their mother’s upbringing. The Yoro brothers have a holy cross sign on their social accounts showing their faith in Christianity. ‘God Made’, ‘God’s child’, ‘God’s kid’ and ‘God did’ are written on each brother’s bio.
Most of Leny’s social media posts end with #GodDid showing his gratitude to All Mightly for guiding him along the right path. Some might argue that this is a sign of him being a fan of DJ Khaled, who has a song titled God Did. But Yoro having a holy cross tattoed right under his left ear puts that theory to the rest.
Now in Manchester, it’s time for Yoro to carry on sharpening his craft and become a cornerstone of the new age in Old Trafford.