Esteban Lepaul earns France call-up as OL’s 2000 class continues to flourish | OneFootball

Esteban Lepaul has been named in Zinédine Zidane’s first France squad, emblematic of Olympique Lyonnais’s 2000-born production line. According to L'Équipe, the Rennes striker is among several Lyon-trained players of that vintage now thriving as professionals.

Last season’s Ligue 1 top scorer with 21 goals, Lepaul has started this campaign with three in four league matches. Zidane selected the 26-year-old ahead of Jean-Philippe Mateta and Marcus Thuram.

Lepaul spent five years in OL’s academy from 2015 to 2020. He is the latest headline figure from that class, and another who had to leave the Rhône to find opportunity and flourish.

In defence, Pierre Kalulu, already capped three times after early moves to Serie A with AC Milan then Juventus, was recalled by Zidane on Friday. Melvin Bard has become a mainstay at OGC Nice, while Amine Gouiri, limited to only 15 OL appearances in three seasons, found greater success with Nice, Rennes and now OM.

Georges Mikautadze returned to OL in 2024 after making his name at Metz, but departed a year later to help stabilise the club’s finances. Maxence Caqueret is the only 2000-born to truly establish himself at his formative club, playing 184 matches before joining Como in January 2025.

Source: L'Équipe

“Artificial intelligence was used to assist in creating this article based on reporting from the original source quoted.”