Désiré Doué means 'longed for' and 'gifted' in English, and the younger of the Rennes siblings has quickly proved to be both, with scouts from Paris Saint-Germain, Barcelona and Newcastle reportedly having watched him light up Roazhon Park.

Désiré knocking down records

Last August, he became the first player born in 2005 to score in Ligue 1 Uber Eats when he helped Rennes to a 3-1 win over Stade Brestois 29. By October, his winner against Dynamo Kyiv in the UEFA Europa League made him the youngest ever French scorer in Europe at 17 years, four months and four days of age.

Already a UEFA European Under-17 Championship winner with France, comparisons with fellow Rennes academy graduates like Ousmane Dembélé and Eduardo Camavinga - now of PSG and Real Madrid respectively - quickly seemed eminently reasonable.

But while attacking midfielder Désiré was racking up records and winning trophies, his elder brother Guéla, a right-back, was stuck in Rennes' reserves, a former 2002 age group teammate of Camavinga's, but one who had hitherto failed to make the step up.

Doué double

Fast forward to October 2023 and both are part of the first team - in the recent 3-1 win over FC Nantes in the Derby Breton, Désiré scored Rennes' second goal, while Guéla earned the penalty that Arnaud Kalimuendo converted in injury time to complete the scoring.

Watch: Highlights of Rennes' 3-1 win over Nantes

"Because Désiré, since he was very young, has been a very promising talent, [Guéla] could have taken offense," former Rennes academy coach Romain Ferrier told l'Equipe recently. "But instead he's proud of [Désiré], and stayed focused on himself, as if he were on a mission.

"Désiré is a pure talent, and Guéla, everything he has, he went and got it," a source close to the latter concurred.

Plotting his own path

And go out and get it he has. Lorenz Assignon remains the first-choice right-back at Rennes under Bruno Génésio, but the elder Doué is increasingly trusted by the coach, and started the narrow 1-0 loss to Villarreal in the Europa League last Thursday.

While Désiré looks destined for a senior international career with France, the land of their birth, Guéla accepted a call-up for the Côte d'Ivoire U23s - for whom he qualifies through parentage - in March, making his debut as captain against Uzbekistan in Morocco.

A family affair

"I want to prove that I deserve my place alongside the pros," Guéla said when he signed his first contract in November 2021. "My little brother has always been by my side, we move forward together. I show him the way and he follows. We want to show what the Doué family is capable of."

The extended family has achieved plenty: Cousin Yann Gboho is now at Cercle Brugge having broken through at les Rouge et Noir four years ago, while uncle Ambroise used to play for Rennes' reserves.

It is now Désiré leading the way with Guéla following, but through sheer force of will, the latter has made sure that the brothers are moving forward together.