Cissé has been campaigning for Lepaul for a year, finally called up by Zidane for France

Esteban Lepaul features for the first time in a France squad list, after Zinédine Zidane, the new France manager, decided to take the step that his predecessor Didier Deschamps had not dared to take before the 2026 World Cup. The Stade Rennais striker can count on heavyweight support: that of Djibril Cissé.

The former France striker, now a pundit, reacted Friday to Lepaul’s presence in Zidane’s first squad list. “The Lepaul story goes back for me, because I played with his dad, Fabrice Lepaul, at Auxerre — a very good player, left winger, very quick. Esteban, I’ve been campaigning for him for about a year now,” he said.

Cissé makes no secret of his satisfaction. “I think I was one of the first to mention his name. He’s an extraordinary player, a pure striker, old-school, who scores goals — what you ask of a striker.” A conviction that the former Olympique Marseille and Liverpool player has held for several months, despite reservations expressed by Christophe Dugarry about the Rennes player’s profile.

For Cissé, Lepaul’s style matches exactly what Zidane is looking for. “I think he’s the kind of player who really appeals to him. He was used to being number 10 and having a real number 9 in front of him. And that’s perhaps what appeals about Esteban. Top scorer in Ligue 1 last season, he continues to score goal after goal. It’s a bit logical.”

Lepaul will have the chance to impress during the next four Ligue des Nations matches: away to Turkey on September 25, to Belgium on September 28, hosting Italy on October 2, then another trip to Belgium on October 5.