- He hails from the Ivory Coast
Maxwel Cornet was born in the town of Bregbo in the Ivory Coast, around 15 miles east of the centre of the capital city Abidjan. Bregbo lies on the northern bank of the Ébrié Lagoon, an 80-mile long lagoon that is separated from the Atlantic Ocean by a narrow coastal strip of land.
- He joined Metz at the age of seven
Maxwel Cornet’s family left Ivory Coast when he was aged just three-and-a-half, settling in north eastern France. The young Cornet quickly showed a talent for football and was recruited by FC Metz’s Academy in late 2003, when he had just turned seven, far younger than many of his new teammates. In 2008, aged eleven, he helped Metz represent France and win the Danone Nations Cup international tournament for children in Paris.
- He made his senior debut at the age of 15
Maxwel Cornet was aged just 15 years and eleven months when he made his first-team debut for Metz as a late substitute in a 6-3 win at Quevilly in France’s third tier Champion Nat National on 31 August 2012. Among Metz’s scorers that day was future West Ham United striker Diafra Sakho.
- He was capped over 50 times by France
While Maxwel Cornet has played his senior international football for Ivory Coast since 2017, he was previously capped a total of 52 times by France between U16 and U21 levels. Cornet’s most successful year came as an U19, as he scored eight goals in 17 caps, including a hat-trick in a friendly win over Belgium
- He won promotion to Ligue 1 at 17
Maxwel Cornet made 14 appearances as Metz won the Ligue 2 title and promotion to Ligue 1 in 2013/14, finishing eleven points clear of second-place Lens at the top of the table. That proved to be the end of Cornet’s Metz career as he moved on to Olympique Lyonnais in January 2015.