Esteban Lepaul’s climb has reached the France squad. The Stade Rennais striker, 26, has received his first senior international call-up, one of five fresh faces selected at the start of Zinédine Zidane’s reign with Les Bleus.
Last season’s Ligue 1 top scorer has begun the new campaign with three league goals. His route to this point, however, has been far from direct: National 2, the Championnat National, Ligue 2 and then a move to Rennes in the summer of 2025.
Quick facts
- Esteban Lepaul, 26, has been called up by France for the first time.
- The Rennes forward finished as Ligue 1’s leading scorer last season.
- He is the only newly selected player among the attacking options.
- France face Turkey on 25 September and Belgium on 28 September.
- Les Bleus then host Italy on 2 October and Belgium on 5 October in the Nations League.
The news immediately took Lepaul back to his father, Fabrice, who died in a road accident in May 2020. A former Auxerre player, Fabrice Lepaul had himself suffered a serious car accident in 1997, an event that curtailed his own football career.
“My first thought was of him,” Lepaul said. “When his career stopped, perhaps that was the point when he might have had the chance to reach the France team.”
The Rennes forward also paid tribute to his family, including his wife, who has been alongside him since the difficult early years of his career. He said his parents gave him the freedom to pursue football, while the call-up represented the result of sustained work, good fortune and opportunities taken.
“It is a dream,” Lepaul said. “There is nothing greater than wearing your country’s shirt.”
A striker Zidane wants to assess
Lepaul had always believed he could one day make it to Ligue 1, but he did not expect an international selection to arrive so soon. He described the moment as overwhelming and said he was preparing to learn from a squad packed with players from Europe’s leading clubs.
He will join teammates playing for the likes of Real Madrid, Bayern Munich and Barcelona, while also finding familiar faces in a new environment. “I will go there to learn in training and understand why those players are at that level,” he said.
Zidane’s interest is rooted in the striker’s profile. The France coach highlighted Lepaul’s ability to operate in tight areas and his regular goalscoring return.
“He offers something different, especially in confined spaces,” Zidane said. “He is a player I want to look at closely. He scores goals.”
France begin the Zidane era away to Turkey before travelling to Belgium, then return home for Nations League meetings with Italy and the Belgians in early October. For Lepaul, the next step comes after a long road through French football’s lower divisions—and with his first France shirt now within reach.
