The 'other' Tchouameni: An NBA and diet-crazed perfectionist

It didn't take long for new Real Madrid signing Aurelien Tchouameni to stop talking in class and starting talking on the field.

After developing a reputation for being talkative in primary school, his father found him a club in his hometown of Rouen, SJ Artigues, where he could start playing at the age of five.

Although his father, a pharmacist by profession, didn't make it at the pro level, Aurelien would watch him play whenever he could.

His mother, a senior education advisor, also played a key role in his education and values. Whenever her son lost his way, she was always there to show him the right path.

Tchouameni began his career as a striker. Strong and dynamic, he even managed to get a yellow belt in judo before Bordeaux offered him a trial at 11.

At 14 he suffered two injuries, which made life even more difficult given he was already living without his family after they moved to Lyon.

Nevertheless, Tchouameni, who had started to develop as a midfielder by that point, saw that football could offer him a path forward.

"I realised that I could dedicate myself to football," Tchouameni said in an interview.

While with Bordeaux, scouts began to take notes on the player they compared to Paul Pogba and N'Golo Kante.

In 2018, while part of the second team, he made his first team debut with Bordeaux while also continuing his studies in science, once again highlighting his maturity.

In January 2020 he moved to Monaco, but it wasn't until the 2020/21 campaign that he began to show his worth.

Known as a great ball winner, Tchouameni also has the skills to play higher up the field.

A perfectionist who adheres to a strict diet, he's known to avoid eating until after the morning training session.

He also watches his matches and writes down things to improve on in a notebook.

Off the field, he's a big NBA fan like his friend and former Bordeaux teammate, Jules Kounde.

Before meeting up with the French national team, Tchouameni even managed to watch an Eastern Conference Finals match between the Miami Heat and the Boston Celtics.

Michael Jordan and LeBron James are his idols, while he considers Karim Benzema the best striker in the world, which no doubt helped him when deciding to turn down PSG and sign for Real Madrid.