Jean Butez Receives First Call-Up to France National Team
Jean Butez was still shaking off the fatigue of an away trip with Como when his phone lit up on landing. One message changed everything.
At 31 years and three months, the veteran goalkeeper has received his first-ever call-up to the France national team, stepping in late for RC Lens keeper Robin Risser, who withdrew after medical consultations revealed physical issues. The decision sent a ripple through Clairefontaine and across Ligue 1: a late bloomer finally breaking through.
Butez is now the oldest player to earn a maiden call-up for Les Bleus since Gerard Farison back in 1976. Nearly half a century on, another unexpected name has forced his way into the frame.
A career that refused to fade
This is not the story of a prodigy. It is the story of a goalkeeper who simply refused to go away.
From Lille to Mouscron and then Royal Antwerp, Butez built his reputation far from the glare of the French national setup. In Belgium, he became a cornerstone, helping Royal Antwerp to a historic domestic treble in 2023 and racking up 27 clean sheets in the process. Those numbers finally spoke loudly enough.
Now at Como, he boarded the plane from an away match as just another club keeper. He stepped off it as an international.
“We were coming back from an away game with Lucas in particular. The message on landing was nice," Butez said after arriving at CNF Clairefontaine, still processing the news. He had already seen the statistic about his age and the record it broke. “I saw that stat, it’s pretty cool that I’m the one who broke that record. But you’re never too old for your first selection. Obviously, I wasn’t expecting it."
He made a point of acknowledging the man he replaces. Risser’s misfortune opened the door, and Butez knows it. He expressed sympathy for the injured Lens keeper while accepting the chance he has waited his entire career to receive.
From Antwerp’s treble to Barthez’s guidance
Any lingering disbelief vanished when he stepped onto the training pitch under the eye of Fabien Barthez, the newly appointed goalkeeping coach. One French goalkeeping cult figure passing on his expertise to a late-arriving newcomer to the national stage.
Butez threw himself into his first session with Les Bleus, bringing with him the weight of years rather than the shine of youth. This is a goalkeeper who has lived the grind: title races, cup runs, European nights, pressure that does not ease across a season.
Now, he gets to experience something different – the rarefied air of the France squad, surrounded by some of Europe’s elite.
"Now, I’m here to replace him and discover a bit of this world, this group," he said. "And I’m the happiest."
You could hear it in his voice. For Butez, this is not a stepping stone. It is the summit.
A brutal Nations League schedule
There will be no gentle easing in. Zinedine Zidane’s side face a demanding UEFA Nations League window: four matches in just eleven days. Turkey, Italy, and a double-header against Belgium form a brutal sequence that will test the depth and resilience of the squad.
In that context, Butez is more than a feel-good story. He is vital cover. A serious option. A goalkeeper with a proven record of consistency and concentration, ready if called upon in a compressed schedule where one injury or suspension can flip the plans of an entire camp.
Les Bleus want to launch their Nations League campaign with authority. Zidane has turned to a man who has waited longer than most for this jersey, but who arrives with the calm of someone who has seen almost everything the club game can throw at him.
The question now is simple: after a lifetime chasing this moment, how far can Jean Butez push his late rise in the blue of France?
