Messi Yangala

Messi Yangala
Yangala in 2026
No. 5 – Pôle France
PositionForward
LeagueNationale Masculine 1
Personal information
Born (2009-06-21) 21 June 2009
Châteauroux, France
Listed height6 ft 8 in (2.03 m)
Career history
2024–presentPôle France
Career highlights
  • LNB Young Star Game (2026)

Messi Taofinu'u Yangala (born 21 June 2009) is a French professional basketball player for Pôle France.

Early life

Yangala played youth basketball with ABC St Jean de Braye, JS Chécy Basket, and CJF Fleury-les-Aubrais.[1] He also played two seasons in the French U15 Elite league with CTC Orléans Métropole.[2][a] In 2024, Yangala was announced as one of 22 players (11 boys and 11 girls) accepted into the National Institute of Sport, Expertise, and Performance (INSEP) for the Pôle France program, including one of three from the Centre-Val de Loire region.[3][4] He helped the Pôle France U18 team win the 2025–26 EuroLeague NextGen Belgrade Qualifier, earning all-tournament honors after averaging 14 points and five rebounds per game.[5] At the 2025–26 EuroLeague NextGen Final tournament in Athens, he averaged 14 points and 7.3 rebounds per game.[6]

Professional career

Yangala debuted with Pôle France in the third-tier Nationale Masculine 1 (NM1) on 20 December 2024, scoring nine points in an 83–78 loss to Étoile Angers Basket. It was his only appearance of the 2024–25 season.[7][8] Yangala recorded his first double-double on 16 December 2025, posting 17 points, 10 rebounds, and four assists in an 88–82 win over Union Rennes basket 35, which also marked Pôle France's first victory of the season.[9][10] He took a leadership role on the team following the midseason departure of Nathan Soliman.[11] Yangala scored a season-high 20 points in an 86–77 win over Metz BC on 26 April 2026.[9] He averaged 9.9 points, 5.2 rebounds, and 1.6 assists in 26 minutes per game at 17 years old in his first full season.[11]

Yangala was selected to play in the 2026 Ligue nationale de basket (LNB) Young Star Game. He was the youngest player named to the game's roster,[12] as well as one of only two Pôle France players, along with Soliman.[13]

National team career

Yangala represented the France national under-15 team at the 2024 Torneo dell’Amicizia (Friendship Tournament), held in Italy.[14] He averaged seven points per game and helped his team to a runner-up finish.[15][16]

Yangala next represented France at the 2025 FIBA U16 EuroBasket. He recorded 22 points and 10 rebounds in a 90–66 win over Latvia in the fifth-place game, which secured France's spot in the following year's FIBA Under-17 World Cup.[17] Yangala averaged 13 points and 6.7 rebounds per game, which ranked third and second on the team, respectively.[11] He also led the tournament with 1.9 blocks per game.[18]

The following year, Yangala represented France at the 2026 FIBA Under-17 World Cup, which marked the coaching debut of Tony Parker. He averaged 12.7 points and 6.3 rebounds per game, helping France to a fifth-place finish.[19]

Personal life

Yangala grew up in Saint-Jean-de-Braye and Fay-aux-Loges.[20] He was inspired by his favorite player, Kevin Durant, as well as Michael Jordan.[11][21]

References

  1. ↑ "La liste des entrant(e)s au Pôle France dévoilée" (in French). Ligue Centre-Val de Loire de BasketBall. 28 March 2024. Retrieved 22 July 2026.
  2. ↑ "Toutes les saisons du joueur Yangala Messi". mr-stats.frenchbasketballscouting.fr (in French). Retrieved 22 July 2026.
  3. ↑ Thuillier, Tom (21 March 2024). "Pôle France : 11 joueurs et 11 joueuses retenu(e)s" (in French). French Federation of Basketball. Archived from the original on 14 April 2026. Retrieved 22 July 2026.
  4. ↑ Pantel-Jouve, Gabriel (22 March 2024). "Les 22 entrants au Pôle France en 2024 sont connus". BeBasket (in French). Retrieved 22 July 2026.
  5. ↑ "Nathan Soliman takes home MVP as INSEP wins Belgrade qualifier". Euroleague Basketball. 22 March 2026. Retrieved 22 July 2026.
  6. ↑ "Messi Yangala | NextGen". Euroleague Basketball. Retrieved 22 July 2026.
  7. ↑ Chevillard, Mathieu (20 December 2024). "NM1 (J17) : L'EAB prend sa revanche sur le Pôle France !". Passion Sports 49 (in French). Retrieved 22 July 2026.
  8. ↑ "Statistiques match par match de Messi Yangala | Saison 2024-2025" (in French). French Federation of Basketball. Retrieved 22 July 2026.
  9. 1 2 "Statistiques match par match de Messi Yangala | Saison 2025-2026" (in French). French Federation of Basketball. Retrieved 22 July 2026.
  10. ↑ Compayrot, Tom (16 December 2025). "Le Pôle France valide sa première victoire de la saison, avec des 2009 qui performent". BeBasket (in French). Retrieved 22 July 2026.
  11. 1 2 3 4 Badet, Simon (26 June 2026). "Messi Yangala, le troisième homme de la génération 2009, veut sortir de l'ombre avec l'équipe de France U17". BeBasket (in French). Retrieved 22 July 2026.
  12. ↑ Roszak, Arnaud (4 March 2026). "La minute sport : le jeune basketteur loirétain Messi Yangala participe au Young Star Game" (in French). Radio France. Retrieved 22 July 2026.
  13. ↑ Sadik, Sami (22 January 2026). "Aaron Towo-Nansi, Adam Atamna et Hugo Yimga-Moukouri en têtes d'affiche du deuxième Young Star Game". L'Équipe (in French). Retrieved 22 July 2026.
  14. ↑ Cristofori, Pietro (16 September 2024). "U15 Friendship Tournament 2024- Full recap". Eurohopes. Retrieved 21 July 2026.
  15. ↑ "Torneo dell'Amicizia, l'Italia batte la Grecia e chiude al terzo posto. Oro alla Spagna, Argento alla Francia" (in Italian). Italian Basketball Federation. 7 July 2024. Retrieved 22 July 2026.
  16. ↑ "Deuxième place au Tournoi de l'Amitié pour les deux sélections françaises" (in French). French Federation of Basketball. 8 July 2024. Retrieved 22 July 2026.
  17. ↑ Puybertier, Arthur (16 August 2025). "Les Bleuets se qualifient pour le Mondial U17 de 2026, après leur victoire face à la Lettonie à l'Euro U16 !". BeBasket (in French). Retrieved 22 July 2026.
  18. ↑ "Competition Stats - FIBA U16 EuroBasket 2025". FIBA. Retrieved 22 July 2026. Choose "Blocks" from the first dropdown menu.
  19. ↑ Couton-Coudray, Jérôme (5 July 2026). "L'équipe de France U17 de basket, avec ses joueurs natifs du Loiret, cinquième du mondial". La République du Centre (in French). Retrieved 22 July 2026.
  20. ↑ Couton-Coudray, Jérôme (2 March 2026). "Qui est Messi Yangala, 16 ans, nouveau phénomène basket originaire d'Orléans programmé pour la NBA ?". La République du Centre (in French). Retrieved 22 July 2026. (subscription required)
  21. ↑ Pantel-Jouve, Gabriel (2 July 2026). "Messi Yangala : « Je fais ce qu'il y a à faire pour gagner une médaille »". BeBasket (in French). Retrieved 22 July 2026.

Notes

  1. ↑ CTC Orléans Métropole Basket is a Coopération Territoriale de Clubs (Territorial Club Cooperation; an agreement between two clubs to combine teams) between CJF Fleury-les-Aubrais and Orléans Loiret Basket.
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