Who is Lucas Da Cunha, Zidane’s surprise France call-up and Como captain? | OneFootball

Lucas Da Cunha, Como’s captain and a polished, inventive midfielder, has been handed a first France call-up by Zidane.

According to L'Équipe, the Roanne-born player emerged from relative obscurity to become the headline surprise of Zidane’s inaugural squad, crowning a rise that has unfolded over the past three and a half years.

Raised north of Saint-Étienne in a family devoted to Les Verts, he never entered ASSE’s academy despite interest, stumbling at detection days with Saint-Étienne, Lyon and Dijon. He instead joined Rennes, thriving alongside Eduardo Camavinga, Sacha Boey, Yann Gboho and Adrien Truffert, winning the French U17 title in 2018 and U19 in 2019, and earning youth caps.

Seeking senior minutes, he left for Nice in summer 2020 and was loaned to Lausanne in the Swiss top flight. A further loan to Clermont followed from January to May 2022, before he chose Como in January 2023, an ambitious club then battling to stay in Serie B, where Cesc Fabregas moved from team-mate to coach.

Wearing 33, Fabregas shifted him into central midfield and his influence soared. Promotion to Serie A arrived, he took the armband, then Como clinched a surprise Champions League spot last season. He finished the campaign on 8 goals and 4 assists in all competitions.

Da Cunha credits Fabregas with reshaping his game and outlook, saying the positional switch has transformed his football. This first senior France call-up now marks the next sharp turn in his journey.

Source: L'Équipe

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