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PARIS: For Esteban Lepaul, receiving passes from football legend Zin\u00e9dine Zidane during the newcomer\u2019s first training session with the French national team felt a bit surreal.<\/p>\n
The 26-year-old striker received his first call up with France last week when Zidane, the new national team coach, included him in his squad for upcoming Nations League matches. It\u2019s a well-deserved reward for Lepaul\u2019s stellar performances over the past year.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhat better way to practice finishing than to receive a few balls from Zin\u00e9dine Zidane,\u201d Lepaul told reporters Tuesday at France\u2019s training camp. \u201cIt\u2019s a dream come true.\u201d<\/p>\n
Lepaul was without a club a few years ago when the Lyon academy released him. He spent several seasons languishing in the lower divisions of French soccer. At the time, making it to the national squad was far from guaranteed for Lepaul, a late bloomer.<\/p>\n
But after many years struggling, he joined Rennes from Angers in 2025. His instinct for goals and blistering pace flourished last season when he stood out as the league\u2019s top scorer with 21 goals.<\/p>\n
\u201cThere are many more players reaching the highest level after coming through the lower divisions,\u201d Lepaul said. \u201cThat must give a lot of encouragement to those currently playing in the lower divisions, who dream of making it all the way to the top and reaching the highest level.\u201d<\/p>\n
Lepaul, whose late father Fabrice was also a professional soccer player, said he fully realized he could break into the French team after amassing goals in Ligue 1 last season.<\/p>\n
\u201cI told myself that finishing as the top scorer in one of the five major leagues wasn\u2019t something everyone gets to do, and that it was no small achievement either,\u201d Lepaul said. \u201cSo I thought, why not knock on the door of the national team?\u201d<\/p>\n
In the name of the father<\/p>\n
Lepaul\u2019s father died in 2020 following a road accident. A French champion with Auxerre in 1996, he had already been involved in a serious crash in 1997, which brought his progress to a halt.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhen you have a father who played football at the highest level, in the Champions League, I think the French national team could have been something he wanted to achieve too. And the fact that he never made it there is something that was passed on to me, something that was passed down between us from a very young age,\u201d Lepaul said.<\/p>\n
The loss of his father has been a driving force, Lepaul insisted.<\/p>\n
\u201cThat\u2019s where all this strength I\u2019ve had since 2020 comes from,\u201d he said. \u201cHe made it his mission to support me and accompany me as much as possible, and in the end, I think things worked out the way they were meant to. His career ended when he was 24, and 24 is the age at which mine really began. So I think it was a kind of passing of the torch, and there\u2019s a story that still needs to be finished.\u201d<\/p>\n
Lepaul faces intense competition up front<\/p>\n
Lepaul has scored three goals in six Ligue 1 games this campaign, including one against defending champion Paris Saint-Germain.<\/p>\n
\u201cHe has a different profile from what we\u2019re used to seeing,\u201d said Zidane, who replaced Didier Deschamps as France coach after the World Cup. \u201cI like this kind of player who can play in tight spaces, he scores goals. I want to see him up close.\u201d<\/p>\n
France play in Turkiye on Sept. 25 and Belgium three days later, then host Italy on Oct. 2 and Belgium on Oct. 5. Lepaul will face a tough competition for playing time up front, alongside Bradley Barcola, Ousmane Demb\u00e9l\u00e9, D\u00e9sir\u00e9 Dou\u00e9, Kylian Mbapp\u00e9 and Michael Olise.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe probably have some of the best in the world at the moment,\u201d Lepaul said.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe first objective, when it comes to the team, is to win all four matches. That will be the group\u2019s main focus over these next two weeks. As for me, I want to get some playing time and contribute as much as I can. If I score one goal, that\u2019s fine by me. And if I score several, fine by me too.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/div>\n