Pablo Pagis, Third Potential Surprise in Zidane's First France Squad

Paris FC attacking midfielder Pablo Pagis could feature in Zinédine Zidane’s very first squad list as France manager, announced on Friday, September 18. According to L’Équipe, the 23-year-old “is among the players selected in this expanded squad”, joining two other newcomers already mentioned.

Before Pagis, the names of Rennes striker Esteban Lepaul and Inter Milan midfielder Andy Diouf had already emerged as serious options for Didier Deschamps’ successor. Less expected than those two, the former Lorient player stands out according to the sports daily for “his technical quality, his game reading, his football flair and his ability to dictate play as a number 10”.

It would be a first call-up for the left-footer, who has made a strong start to the season in Ligue 1 with Paris FC. Zidane, 1998 Ballon d’Or winner, is therefore closely monitoring several profiles from clubs less prominent than the European giants usually represented in the France squad.

The gathering for which this squad is being assembled promises to be particularly demanding: the Blues will play four Nations League matches in the space of ten days. They will travel to Turkey on September 25, then to Belgium on September 28, before hosting Italy on October 2 and Belgium again on October 5, with these last two matches taking place at Stade de France.