Estéban Lepaul has become the first former Angers SCO player in nearly twenty years to earn a senior call-up to the France national team, securing his place in Zinédine Zidane’s debut roster released on Friday, September 18, 2026. The Stade Rennais forward enters an exclusive group of players who transitioned from the Maine-et-Loire club to the Bleus during the 21st century, following a career revival that brought him from Angers in 2024 to the pinnacle of French international football.
Among the hundreds of players to represent Angers SCO since the club’s founding in 1919, only a select few have swapped the Black and White jersey for the national team’s blue strip featuring the traditional rooster. Lepaul’s selection follows standout performances in Ligue 1, where he finished as the league’s top scorer last season with 21 goals—20 of which came after his transfer to Rennes—before adding three goals in the opening three fixtures of the 2026–27 campaign.
The 26-year-old forward experienced Clairefontaine and his first senior cap during a UEFA Nations League fixture against Turkey on Friday, September 25, 2026, which ended in a 1–0 victory for Les Bleus. His journey to the national setup highlights a remarkable trajectory from his relaunch at Angers two years prior.
Historical Precedents at Angers SCO
When tracking the lineage of Angers players who reached international recognition, the conversation invariably begins with Raymond Kopa. Formed at the club, Kopa launched his professional career in Anjou in 1949 before etching his name into French football history. Over the decades, however, direct pathways from Angers to the senior national team have remained rare, making Lepaul’s inclusion under Zidane a notable milestone for the club’s talent pipeline.
Rennes Representation in Zidane’s First Squad
Zinédine Zidane’s initial squad announcement also heavily featured the youth academy of Stade Rennais, with seven players trained at the Breton club earning selections. Alongside Lepaul, the list includes Paris Saint-Germain forwards Ousmane Dembélé and Désiré Doué, Real Madrid midfielder Eduardo Camavinga, Bournemouth defender Adrien Truffert, Liverpool defender Jérémy Jacquet, Inter Milan midfielder Andy Diouf, and Como forward Lucas Da Cunha. This strong contingent underscores Rennes’ standing among Europe’s top talent-producing academies, a status reinforced by CIES Football Observatory data placing the club among the elite developers in Europe’s top five leagues.
Following his debut against Turkey, Lepaul and the France squad faced a demanding schedule of Nations League fixtures, including a match against Belgium on September 28, a fixture against Italy on October 2, and a return match against Belgium on October 5, 2026.
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