Overview:

Sports reporter Onz Chéry examines why 16-year-old Franco Célestin’s trial with Spain’s Real Racing Club Santander matters — not just for his development, but for the future of Haiti-born players trying to reach Europe amid instability, gang violence and a collapsing domestic system.

The La Liga dream is finally on the table for Haiti — distant, improbable but suddenly real. Sixteen-year-old sensation Franco Celestin, one of the brightest talents to emerge from Haiti’s youth system in years, is midway through a trial with Spain’s Real Racing Club Santander. If he earns a contract, the country could see its first locally born player compete in Spain’s top two divisions.

The scenario hinges on two long-shot outcomes. But the mere possibility is unprecedented — and arrives at a moment when Haitian soccer needs a breakthrough. Haiti’s U-17 team, though eliminated in Qatar last month, captured attention for individual talent. Scouts from France, Belgium and Spain quietly evaluated Haiti’s matches, and Célestin’s performance positioned him as the first concrete prospect to emerge from that exposure.

Real Racing Club Santander, currently second in La Liga 2, will continue evaluating the winger until Dec. 14. Should he excel, Célestin could become a rare Haiti-born teenager to win a European contract — a pathway nearly erased by gang warfare, political instability and the collapse of Haiti’s domestic football system.

Two uphill battles

Yet, Celestin’s dream of playing in La Liga is far-fetched. Promotion to La Liga is not guaranteed for Real Racing Club Santander. Only 15 of 38 match days have been played, and Racing — historically inconsistent since relegation in 2012 — must maintain its form through spring. Even if Racing reaches La Liga, Célestin still needs to prove he can adapt to the club’s rigorous demands and the winter conditions of Santander, a hurdle few Haiti-based players ever face.

Still, a contract in La Liga 2 would already be historic. No Haitian-born player has ever competed in La Liga or La Liga 2. Former Haitian international Frantz Bertin reached both divisions in the mid-2000s, playing with Racing in La Liga and C.D. Tenerife in La Liga 2. But he was French-born.

If he succeeds, Célestin would be the first to do so, coming from Haitian soil.

A new look Haitian men’s team boasts of having players from top European top divisions, such as England’s Premier League: Jean-Ricner Bellegarde and Hannes Delcroix, and from France’s Ligue 1: Josué Casimir. But again, those players were not born and developed in Haiti, unlike Celestin. 

A standout from Haiti’s U-17 World Cup team with a rare opportunity

Célestin arrived in Spain roughly two weeks after Haiti’s U-17 World Cup run in Qatar, where he became the first Haitian youth player to record both a goal and an assist at a World Cup. Haiti exited after losses to Egypt (4–1), England (8–1) and Venezuela (4–2), but several players — particularly Célestin — drew attention for skill and composure under pressure.

Les Grenadiers put up their best performance against Venezuela on Nov. 10 but still lost 4-2

European scouts are now tracking multiple U-17 teammates. Célestin’s trial is, however, the first tangible step from that renewed international interest.

Célestin’s journey reflects the challenges facing Haitian-born prospects today:

• FHF instability: Long-time federation president Yves “Dadou” Jean-Bart, who dedicated over 20 years of efforts to youth development despite Haiti’s limited resources, remains banned by FIFA due to a sexual abuse scandal that shocked the Haitian soccer community, leaving a Normalization Committee in charge since 2020. Despite the lack of concrete evidence and the Court of Arbitration for Sport’s (CAS) reversal in a 2023 appeal that called for Jean-Bart’s reinstatement, FIFA has maintained the ban.
• Infrastructure collapse: Ranch de la Croix-des-Bouquets — Haiti’s top youth facility — has remained closed since gang takeovers in 2021 and is now reportedly occupied by 400 Mawozo.
• Domestic leagues frozen: With local competition suspended, young players lack structured training and game minutes.

Célestin is one of the few exceptions. After starring in the 2022 Caribbean Football Union U-14 Challenge Series, he joined Mount Pleasant F.A. in Jamaica’s top division from the Croix-des-Bouquets club LEG A-Z — a critical move that provided the stability and exposure needed to earn this trial.

Why Celestin’s success matters for Haiti’s national team

Haiti’s senior squad leans increasingly on foreign-born players. Among the 23 called for the November World Cup qualifiers, only seven were Haitian-born. Yet the team’s historic qualification with a win over Nicaragua relied heavily on those locally born players as starters, including Louicius Don Deedson, who opened the scoring for Les Grenadiers in the 2-0 victory, Frantzdy Pierrot, Leverton Pierre, Ricardo Adé and Carlens Arcus. 

It could have been 6 out of 7 Haitian-born players in the starting XI if Danley Jean Jacques, Major League Soccer’s (MLS) Philadelphia Union midfielder, was suspended due to yellow card accumulation.

A successful trial for Célestin would signal that the pipeline of Haiti-born talent is not permanently broken — and future national team rosters could maintain a healthier balance.

Even if Célestin starts with Racing B due to his age, the European environment would accelerate his development and strengthen his case for long-term selection to the senior national team.

If Racing signs him, Célestin would join one of Spain’s historic sides. Racing is a founding member of La Liga, has competed in the top flight for 44 seasons and finished runner-up in 1931.

Whether or not Racing earns promotion, Célestin’s trial marks a rare moment of hope for Haitian football — proof that despite institutional chaos, gang-controlled fields and a shuttered domestic league, Haiti can still produce talent capable of reaching Europe’s elite.

On the Haitian women’s side, however, more teenage girls have been earning trials in Europe in recent years, such as OL Lyonnes’ star midfielder Melchie ‘Corventina’ Dumornay, F.C. Fleury’s striker Lourdjina Etienne, and more recently, Pierreline Nazon, who began a 10-week trial with several European clubs, including Sevilla, on Oct. 6.

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