French National Team Calls Up 17-Year-Old Prodigy Warren Zaïre-Emery
The young PSG midfielder is on track to make history as the youngest player to represent Les Bleus in the post-war era. Deschamps has included him for the games against Gibraltar and Greece.
Didier Deschamps, the manager of the French national football team, has named Warren Zaïre-Emery in the squad for the upcoming November international fixtures. At 17, the PSG midfielder is on the cusp of becoming the youngest post-war player to feature for Les Bleus.
Zaïre-Emery, a shining light at Paris SG with impressive performances in both the Champions League and Ligue 1, and also the captain of the French youth team, has been earmarked by many as a future star. His selection is a testament to his rising status, and the upcoming games against Gibraltar in Nice and Greece in Athens (on November 18 and 21) present him with an opportunity to stake a more permanent claim in the team. If he plays in Nice, he will break the record as the youngest post-war player for France, a title currently held by Eduardo Camavinga, while the all-time record still belongs to Félix Vial from an encounter in 1911.
Regardless of the availability of other midfield talents such as Aurélien Tchouaméni, Zaïre-Emery's call-up was anticipated. Deschamps has been tracking the young Parisian for months, and even with Tchouaméni's absence due to a metatarsal injury, Zaïre-Emery would have been selected. Deschamps is known for his reserved praise, yet he has been openly laudatory about Zaïre-Emery's volume of play, power, mentality, and technical proficiency.
Beyond the excitement surrounding PSG's young gem, the rest of the French squad sees the return of Dayot Upamecano and William Saliba, while central defenders like Castello Lukeba and Jean-Clair Todibo miss out, with Benjamin Pavard unavailable due to injury. Jules Koundé is also included in the roster. Up front, the competition remains fierce with the likes of Kylian Mbappé, Olivier Giroud, Antoine Griezmann, Ousmane Dembélé, Kingsley Coman, Randal Kolo Muani, and Marcus Thuram vying for positions. The team is set to gather at Clairefontaine on Monday, marking a pivotal moment in Warren Zaïre-Emery's burgeoning career.