Barthez pushes Restes into Zidane's squad at Samba's expense

Fabien Barthez is already weighing on Zinédine Zidane’s decisions before the new manager’s first squad list, expected Friday at 6 p.m. According to L’Équipe, the former goalkeeper who won the World Cup in 1998 and the European Championship in 2000, now goalkeeper coach for the France staff, has actively pushed the candidacy of 21-year-old Guillaume Restes to join the national team.

Mike Maignan retains his undisputed number one status. Behind him, things are shifting: Brice Samba, despite being in good form since the start of the season with Stade Rennais, finds himself under scrutiny. Barthez, who has not hidden his critical eye on current goalkeepers whom he judges too “textbook” and no longer “natural” enough, would be tempted to bring fresh blood to the hierarchy.

Restes, Olympic vice-champion in Paris in 2024 under Thierry Henry’s orders, is the favored young prospect. Jean Butez, 31, had also been pre-selected after a strong season with Como, but he lost his starting place to Robert Sanchez at the Lombardy club managed by Cesc Fabregas, which complicates his case.

Barthez is not yet officially a goalkeeper coach in the federal sense — he is currently completing his coaching diploma — but his field experience is real. He had already advised Luzenac’s goalkeepers during his spell as football director in 2013-2014, then closely followed Maxime Dupé at Toulouse FC in 2020-2021 as a consultant.

Zidane’s first squad list, which will set the tone for his tenure, will therefore also be the first real-world test of “Fabulous Fab’s” influence on France’s goalkeeper policy.