France team: Zinédine Zidane unveils his very first squad

After fourteen years with Didier Deschamps, the France national team is officially ushering in the Zinédine Zidane era with a highly anticipated first squad.

After fourteen years under the leadership of Didier Deschamps, a new era has officially begun at the helm of the France national team. Appointed manager on July 28, Zinédine Zidane unveiled his very first squad in charge of Les Bleus this Friday, with 23 players selected for the upcoming international window.

The former France No. 10 is therefore returning to the national team in a new role, following an illustrious playing career and a particularly successful spell on the Real Madrid bench, including three consecutive Champions League titles won between 2016 and 2018. The date of the announcement of this first squad had been revealed at the beginning of September.

Zinédine Zidane’s first France squad

Goalkeepers: Mike Maignan, Guillaume Restes, Robin Risser.

Defenders: Andy Diouf, Jérémy Jacquet, Pierre Kalulu, Ibrahima Konaté, Jules Koundé, Maxence Lacroix, Adrien Truffert, Dayot Upamecano, Warren Zaïre-Emery.

Midfielders: Eduardo Camavinga, Rayan Cherki, Mathias Da Cunha, Manu Koné, Adrien Rabiot.

Forwards: Bradley Barcola, Ousmane Dembélé, Désiré Doué, Estéban Lepaul, Kylian Mbappé, Michael Olise.

Four Nations League matches to launch the Zidane era

This first squad will immediately be put to the test during a particularly busy international window. Les Bleus will begin their Nations League campaign on September 25 with an away match in Turkey.

Three days later, France will travel to Belgium on September 28. Zidane’s men will then return to the Stade de France to host Italy on October 2, before welcoming Belgium once again on October 5. All four matches are scheduled for 8:45 p.m.

Zidane’s first major appointment as manager

This sequence will therefore mark Zidane’s official debut in the France dugout. France are in Group A1 alongside Italy, Belgium and Turkey.

The first fixture will be against Turkey on September 25, followed by a series of three more matches in just ten days. For Zidane, this first squad thus represents the true starting point of his tenure at the helm of Les Bleus.

Read also: Spain: Luis de la Fuente unveils his first squad after World Cup triumph

Mahdi Zakaria LAZRI |

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Football web writer creating digital sports content with a focus on news, analysis and stories that reflect passion, accuracy and objectivity.

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