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Ireland Underage Prospect Secures Major Move To Ligue 1 Club

Ireland Underage Prospect Secures Major Move To Ligue 1 Club
Eoin Harrington
By Eoin Harrington Updated
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Ligue 1 side Stade de Reims have confirmed the signing of Ireland underage midfielder John Patrick.

The 21-year-old joins the French side from Getafe, where he has been on the books since 2018. Of dual Irish-Spanish nationality, Patrick joins Reims on a four-and-a-half year deal.

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Sporting director Pol-Edouard Caillot said of the signing:

We are very happy to welcome John Patrick to our squad. His powerful and dynamic profile fits perfectly into our sporting project. With his technical qualities and the energy he gives off on the pitch, he will strengthen our midfield.

A video shared to Reims' social media showed the first day of life at the club for their new #30, who shared his excitement to have signed for the Ligue 1 outfit.

It is an exciting move for the midfielder (full name of John Joe Patrick Finn Benoa), whose first team gametime had stalled somewhat in La Liga.

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Ligue 1 side Reims confirm signing of Ireland's John Patrick

21-year-old John Patrick began his youth career at Real Madrid at the age of nine, before a series of moves saw him end up at Getafe in 2018.

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In 2020, Patrick became the club's youngest ever player when he appeared off the bench against Levante at the age of just 17 years and 42 days.

First team opportuniteis have been relatively rare for the Irishman since then, and Patrick has spent much of the intervening four-and-a-half years lining out for Getafe's B team. After making just four La Liga appearances and two in the Copa del Rey this season, he has secured a move to French top flight side Reims.

Patrick is eligible to line out for four different countries at international level. He was born in Spain to a Cameroonian-French mother, while his father hails from Ballyhaunis in County Mayo (hence the sensational name of John Joe Patrick Finn Benoa).

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However, Jim Crawford suggested in 2021 that Patrick had decided to line out for Ireland, and he has since appeared for the Boys in Green at underage level. He made his debut for the Ireland U19s in October 2021 against Sweden, playing in both games of a double-header of international friendlies in the centre of midfield.

His new club, Reims, sit 12th in Ligue 1 after a difficult start to this season.

Though his development and game time has been limited in recent years, Ireland fans will hope to see more of John Patrick in the months to come, as he settles in to life in France.

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