Zidane's First France Squad Marks Shift from Deschamps Era
Zinedine Zidane walked into FFF headquarters in Paris and drew a line under 12 years of Didier Deschamps in a single gesture: his first 23-man France squad. Smaller, younger, sharper. A group built less on reputation and more on what comes next.
The headline was unmistakable. Jeremy Jacquet, Andy Diouf, Lucas Da Cunha, Guillaume Restes and Esteban Lepaul all received their first senior call-ups. Five debutants, all summoned straight to Clairefontaine on Monday, all handed a ticket into Zidane’s new France.
No expanded list, no safety net. Zidane chose a compact group by design, determined that every player would be fully involved across a demanding international window.
He then sat down in front of the press and went to work, explaining not just who he had picked, but why. Form mattered. So did potential. And above all, the kind of football he wants this team to play.
“They are players who deserve to be here, players I want to see,” he said. “What inspires me is the game. I want to see these players and this team playing.”
Jacquet, now at Liverpool, is no stranger to him. Zidane lingered on the centre-back’s name, recalling his development closely. “I like Jacquet’s profile a lot. I've followed him for a long time because he played alongside my son in the youth teams.” That familiarity has now translated into trust at the highest level.
Diouf, the Inter Milan midfielder, and Da Cunha, impressing at Como, also came in for praise. They fit the profile Zidane wants: energetic, technically clean, able to adapt to several roles. The new coach made it clear that versatility, especially in central midfield and at full-back, sits at the heart of his selection.
The pressure on the flanks will be shared. Adrien Truffert returns, paired in Zidane’s thinking with Diouf to reinforce those wide areas. It is not just about covering positions; it is about having players who can handle the physical and tactical load of his “attractive, proactive” style.
To make room for that new wave, some of the biggest names of France’s recent history have been left out. N’Golo Kante and Karim Benzema, both World Cup winners, both icons, were omitted as Zidane tilted decisively towards youth.
“N'Golo is 35 and I have made choices, which are different,” he said. “I adore Karim, but he's a certain age. I need to see younger players and what we will do together.”
No drama, no door slammed shut, but a clear message: this cycle belongs to a different generation.
The calendar offers no gentle introduction. France will cram four fixtures into ten days as Zidane tries to stamp his ideas on the side at speed. Les Bleus travel to Izmir to face Turkey on Friday, September 25, then head to Brussels to meet Belgium on September 28.
After that, the attention swings back to Saint-Denis. Italy arrive on October 2, before Belgium return to the agenda on October 5, this time on French soil. It is a run that will test not just the new faces, but the cohesion of a squad still learning its manager’s demands.
One constant remains: Kylian Mbappe keeps the armband. Around him, almost everything is up for evolution. Zidane is not hiding his ambition. He wants a France team that plays on the front foot, that excites, that grows with its young core.
The names on this first list make one thing plain: the future is no longer a concept for France. It has a squad number, a place at Clairefontaine, and ten days to show Zidane it deserves to stay.
