The departure of Kylian Mbappé last summer to Real Madrid left a huge void at PSG—not only on the field, as he had become the club's all-time leading scorer, but also financially due to the massive value of his image rights. However, although he is still far from reaching that level, little by little, Désiré Doué is becoming the new face of PSG.

The unstoppable rise of Doué

Last summer, PSG spent around 50 million euros to bring him in from Stade Rennes, one of the most prolific football academies in France, when he was just 19 years old. For many fans, he arrived as a complete unknown. But despite starting the season as the last option in Luis Enrique’s rotation, he has carved out a spot for himself—so much so that people are now wondering if he should become an undisputed starter at PSG. “We did the right thing by signing him from Rennes. He’s a young man with a very high level of education,” Luis Enrique said recently.

His performances and numbers speak for themselves. This season, he has already scored 12 goals and provided 12 assists—24 goal contributions in 43 matches across all competitions. That puts him as PSG’s third-highest goal contributor, only behind Dembélé (40) and Barcola (33). Before arriving at the Parc des Princes, he had only managed to produce 15 goals in 76 matches with Rennes.

No one sells more PSG jerseys than Doué

His progress has been exponential, especially noticeable during the month of March, when he was named Ligue 1's best player. It’s no surprise—he started all four matches PSG played, scoring three goals and providing two assists against top teams like Lille, Stade Rennes, Olympique de Marseille, and Saint-Étienne. “Look at his defensive effort, his ambition… it shows the effort we put into young players and their ability to take center stage,” said Luis Enrique in reference to Doué and PSG’s new youth-focused strategy.

His accomplishments have won over the PSG fanbase. Proof of this is the report from 'La Source Parisienne,' which states that Désiré Doué sold more jerseys with his name than any other player at official PSG stores during March—surpassing Dembélé and Kvaratskhelia. He’s also making waves on social media, having surpassed one million followers on Instagram. Without a doubt, he's enjoying a meteoric rise, and many experts already predict he’ll be awarded the Golden Boy 2025.