France have handed Pablo Pagis his first senior call-up at age 23, after Maghnes Akliouche's injury opened a late place in Zinédine Zidane's squad. The Paris FC forward was already in the extended group, but this is the first time he has been brought into the senior setup. Zidane wants to use the camp to look at a different attacking profile.
Zidane's explanation for the call-up
"He has been selected because we had a small problem with Akliouche. He got injured this weekend and simply won't be able to be with us. Pablo, for his part, was in the extended squad. He is an interesting player, with a different profile, whom I wanted to observe. It is an excellent opportunity to assess him during this gathering," Zidane told Foot Mercato, in comments translated from French.
That is a straight explanation, and it fits the squad picture. France travel to Italy on 12 November and host Türkiye on 15 November in the Nations League, with Dayot Upamecano suspended for the trip to Milan. Malo Gusto was also brought back after Jules Koundé's injury forced a change.
Pagis arrives with enough club football behind him to justify the look. He has 9 appearances for Paris FC this season, 2 goals and 669 minutes, and he is not being called in as a token extra body. Foot Mercato also says he is the first Paris FC player called up to France since 1973.
Written by Sam Whitfield with AI-assisted research, cross-checked against 3 outlets. How we work →
