For Esteban Lepaul, receiving passes from football legend Zinédine Zidane during the newcomer’s first training session with the French national team felt a bit surreal.
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receiving → receive → team
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.
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Zidane → receive → matches
It’s a well-deserved reward for Lepaul’s stellar performances over the past year.
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It → ’ → year
“What better way to practice finishing than to receive a few balls from Zinédine Zidane,” Lepaul told reporters Tuesday at France’s training camp.
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Lepaul → practice → camp
“It’s a dream come true.”
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It → ’ → ?
Lepaul was without a club a few years ago when the Lyon academy released him.
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academy → release → him
He spent several seasons languishing in the lower divisions of French soccer.
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He → spend → soccer
At the time, making it to the national squad was far from guaranteed for Lepaul, a late bloomer.
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making → make → Lepaul
But after many years struggling, he joined Rennes from Angers in 2025.
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he → struggle → 2025
His instinct for goals and blistering pace flourished last season when he stood out as the league’s top scorer with 21 goals.
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he → blister → goals
“There are many more players reaching the highest level after coming through the lower divisions,” Lepaul said.
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Lepaul → be → divisions
“That 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.”
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who → give → level
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.
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he → say → Ligue
“I told myself that finishing as the top scorer in one of the five major leagues wasn’t something everyone gets to do, and that it was no small achievement either,” Lepaul said.
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Lepaul → tell → leagues
“So I thought, why not knock on the door of the national team?”
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I → think → team
In the name of the father
Lepaul’s father died in 2020 following a road accident.
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father → die → 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.
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which → involve → halt
“When 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.
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he → have → League
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,” Lepaul said.
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Lepaul → make → age
The loss of his father has been a driving force, Lepaul insisted.
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Lepaul → drive → father
“That’s where all this strength I’ve had since 2020 comes from,” he said.
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he → ’ → 2020
“He 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.
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they → make → end
His career ended when he was 24, and 24 is the age at which mine really began.
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mine → end → which
So I think it was a kind of passing of the torch, and there’s a story that still needs to be finished.”
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that → think → torch
Lepaul faces intense competition up front
Lepaul has scored three goals in six Ligue 1 games this campaign, including one against defending champion Paris Saint-Germain.
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Lepaul → face → Germain
“He has a different profile from what we’re used to seeing,” said Zidane, who replaced Didier Deschamps as France coach after the World Cup.
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who → have → Cup
“I like this kind of player who can play in tight spaces, he scores goals.
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he → like → goals
I want to see him up close.”
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I → want → him
France plays in Turkey on Sept. 25 and Belgium three days later, then hosts Italy on Oct. 2 and Belgium on Oct. 5.
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France → play → Oct.
Lepaul will face a tough competition for playing time up front, alongside Bradley Barcola, Ousmane Dembélé, Désiré Doué, Kylian Mbappé and Michael Olise.
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Lepaul → face → Barcola
“We probably have some of the best in the world at the moment,” Lepaul said.
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Lepaul → have → moment
“The first objective, when it comes to the team, is to win all four matches.
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it → come → matches
As for me, I want to get some playing time and contribute as much as I can.
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I → want → time
If I score one goal, that’s fine by me.
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that → score → me
And if I score several, fine by me too.”
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I → score → me
The Aporia
