Esteban Lepaul on a France call-up: ‘I hope so. One day, everything will be rewarded, I’m sure.’ | OneFootball

Esteban Lepaul (26) will be eagerly awaiting the announcement of Zinédine Zidane’s France squad on Friday. The Stade Rennais forward has been included in the long list for Zidane’s first-ever France squad.

Lepaul was an outside shout to make Didier Deschamps’ FIFA World Cup this summer, having finished last season as the top scorer in Ligue 1. He netted 21 goals in the league, including 20 for Stade Rennais, after he made the move to Roazhon Park from SCO Angers the previous summer. Lepaul has never been capped by the France national team and was forced to rebuild his career from the amateur divisions after leaving his formative club, Olympique Lyonnais, when he was a youth player. 

Lepaul failed to get on the scoresheet on Wednesday night as Rennes left Sturm Graz with a point thanks to a 0-0 draw in Austria. In a post-match interview with Canal Plus, he was asked about a potential maiden call-up. “I hope so! We will see,” he began. “And if it happens, we’ll keep working, and one day, everything will be rewarded, I’m sure.”

GFFN | Luke Entwistle