Five fresh faces stepped into France’s international picture on Friday as Zinédine Zidane named his first squad, opening the door for Toulouse goalkeeper Guillaume Restes, Rennes defender Jérémy Jacquet, midfielder Andy Diouf, Como’s Lucas Da Cunha and Angers forward Estéban Lepaul.
Whether the call-up proves to be a fleeting visit or the beginning of a long France career will only become clear over time. History offers both possibilities. Every France manager from Aimé Jacquet onwards has included at least one uncapped player in his first selection, but the outcomes have ranged from World Cup winners to players who barely added another appearance.
A first list can change everything
Didier Deschamps’ inaugural squad in August 2012 contained four newcomers for a goalless friendly against Uruguay at Le Havre. Among them was 19-year-old Real Madrid centre-back Raphaël Varane. He did not play at the Stade Océane that night, unlike the other new call-ups, and had to wait until 22 March 2013 for his debut, starting in a 3-1 win over Georgia.
That delayed beginning became an extraordinary France career. Varane went on to collect 93 caps in total and was a central member of the side that won the 2018 World Cup in Russia.
Blaise Matuidi also arrived in a first squad that marked a change of era. Laurent Blanc selected the then-Saint-Étienne midfielder in August 2010, when the France set-up was being rebuilt after the Knysna crisis and all players involved at the World Cup in South Africa had been left out. Matuidi did not feature in the defeat to Norway in Oslo on 11 August, but made his bow a month later in a 2-0 victory in Bosnia-Herzegovina. He would finish with 84 caps and a World Cup winners’ medal.
The examples underline what Zidane’s five newcomers can hope for, but also how narrow the path can be. A first invitation does not necessarily mean an immediate debut, and a debut is not always the start of a permanent role.
From France regulars to brief appearances
Several players introduced by new managers became enduring members of the national team without winning a major trophy. Alou Diarra earned 44 caps, although only 25 came as starts. His substitute appearance in the 2006 World Cup final against Italy brought him within a penalty shoot-out of football’s greatest prize.
Raymond Domenech gave early opportunities to Éric Abidal, who reached 67 appearances, including 62 starts, and to Patrice Évra, who recorded 81 caps and 77 starts. Both were World Cup runners-up in 2006, while Évra later reached the Euro 2016 final. Yohan Cabaye, with 48 caps and 37 starts, was also part of that Euro 2016 run. Sidney Govou played 49 times for France and was selected for Euro 2004, Euro 2008, the 2006 World Cup and the 2010 World Cup, though he was not a leading figure in those tournaments.
Mamadou Sakho’s France story was shorter, at 29 caps, but it contained one unforgettable night. The former Paris Saint-Germain defender scored both goals in the 3-0 win over Ukraine on 19 November 2013, overturning the play-off deficit and sending France to the 2014 World Cup. They remained his only international goals.
Other first-squad selections established useful but more limited international records: Gaël Givet made 12 appearances, Rio Mavuba 13, Christophe Jallet 16, Anthony Réveillère 20, Sébastien Squillaci 21, Yann M’Vila 22, Jérémy Ménez 24, Mathieu Debuchy 27 and Philippe Mexès 29.
At the other end of the scale are players whose first call was close to their last. Charles N’Zogbia won only two caps, both starts, against Norway in August 2010 and Poland in June 2011. Bruno Cheyrou made three appearances, Mapou Yanga-Mbiwa four, while Benoît Trémoulinas and Frédéric Déhu each reached five. Étienne Capoue earned seven caps, with Pierre-Alain Frau and Tony Vairelles finishing on eight apiece. Vairelles and Déhu had been brought in by Roger Lemerre before the 2-2 draw with Austria on 19 August 1998.
For Restes, Jacquet, Diouf, Da Cunha and Lepaul, Friday’s announcement is therefore only the first frame. France’s past shows that a new manager’s initial choices can produce champions, regulars, decisive one-night heroes or simply a short glimpse of the blue shirt.
