Young centre-back could not see a way forward at Leeds so moved to France. Now he’s preparing for the biggest game of his life against Juventus

By Get French Football News

“Leaving England is such a scary, scary decision,” says Charlie Cresswell. It is a decision that he never thought he would make. His father, Richard, made a career as a footballer in England; his brother, Alfie, was coming through Leeds’s academy; Charlie was on the fringes of the Leeds first team when the opportunity to join Toulouse arose in 2024.

“That was the biggest decision I made in football,” he says. “I’ve been a Leeds fan since I was eight. I’d been at the club since I was 10, but, looking back, I was 20 years old with no games and I needed to get out and go play,” says Cresswell, now at Rennes and preparing to face Juventus in the Europa League.

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Ten-man Lyon held on for a 2-1 comeback victory over Nice to move top of Ligue 1 on Sunday, as previous pacesetters Monaco lost for the first time this season. Five teams are level on 14 points at the top of the table with Lyon heading Paris Saint-Germain, Paris FC, Lille and Monaco on goal difference.

It was a close run affair for Lyon, playing in front of local boy and French cycling prodigy Paul Seixas, following Keito Nakamura’s dismissal 20 minutes from time.