Maignan surpasses Joël Bats and claims third place among France's most-capped goalkeepers

Mike Maignan reached a historic milestone by earning his 51st cap for France, surpassing Joël Bats, who had 50 selections since 1989. The AC Milan goalkeeper now ranks third among France’s most-capped goalkeepers, behind Hugo Lloris (145 selections) and Fabien Barthez (87 matches).

The record Maignan has just broken belongs to one of the most emblematic figures in French football history. Trained at FC Sochaux-Montbéliard and developed at AJ Auxerre under Guy Roux, Joël Bats joined the French squad in 1983 to become the starting goalkeeper for the two greatest achievements of the Platini generation.

In 1984, he was in goal when France won its first major collective title: Euro, hosted at home and concluded with a 2-0 final victory over Spain at Parc des Princes. Alongside the “magic square” — Michel Platini, Alain Giresse, Jean Tigana and Luis Fernandez — Bats established himself as a cornerstone of that golden generation.

Two years later, at the 1986 World Cup in Mexico, he made one of the most memorable saves in French football history. In the quarter-final in Guadalajara against Brazil, Bats denied Sócrates’ opening penalty kick, paving the way for France to advance on penalties. France finished third in that World Cup, their best result at the time.

After joining Paris Saint-Germain from 1985 to 1992, Bats also won the French championship in 1986. Maignan has been France’s number one since the 2022 World Cup and continues to add to his cap total.

Behind these four goalkeepers, Bernard Lama ranks fifth with 44 caps, ahead of Georges Carnus, Steve Mandanda, Grégory Coupet, Bruno Martini and Alex Thépot, all credited with around 30 selections or fewer.