Zidane springs a surprise France call-up for striker Pagis amid injury crunch
Paris FC's Pablo Pagis, left, and Monaco's Lamine Camara challenge for the ball during the French League One soccer match between Paris FC and Monaco in Paris, France, Sunday, Nov. 1, 2026. Credit: AP/Teresa Suarez
PARIS — Uncapped Paris FC striker Pablo Pagis was surprisingly summoned by France on Friday for Nations League matches against Turkey and Italy.
Pagis made the 23-man list after Paris Saint-Germain forward Maghnes Akliouche was ruled out by a calf injury.
France coach Zinedine Zidane said Pagis has an "interesting" and “different profile” that he wants to assess.
France tops its group with 10 points from four games. It travels to Italy on Nov. 12 and hosts Turkey three days later.
Good with both feet and capable of playing up front, on the wing or as an attacking midfielder, Pagis joined Paris FC from Lorient this summer. He has two goals and one assist this season. The son of former pro Mickaël Pagis, he was trained at the Rennes academy then blossomed at Lorient.
Zidane needs to deal with a flurry of injuries as William Saliba, Jules Koundé, Maxence Lacroix, Manu Koné, Ousmane Dembélé and Esteban Lepaul have been ruled out. In that context, he said he could be tempted to use Real Madrid star Kylian Mbappé in his favorite No. 9 position.
Zidane also kept faith with new players he called in September after he replaced Didier Deschamps following the 2026 World Cup.
___
France:
Goalkeepers: Mike Maignan (AC Milan), Robin Risser (Lens), Guillaume Restes (Toulouse)
Defenders: Andy Diouf (Inter Milan), Jérémy Jacquet (Liverpool), Ibrahima Konaté (Real Madrid), Malo Gusto (Chelsea), Pierre Kalulu (Juventus), Adrien Truffert (Bournemouth), Dayot Upamecano (Bayern Munich), Leny Yoro (Manchester United)
Midfielders: Eduardo Camavinga (Real Madrid), Rayan Cherki (Manchester City), Lucas Da Cunha (Como), Adrien Rabiot (AC Milan), Aurélien Tchouaméni (Real Madrid), Warren Zaire-Emery (PSG).
Forwards: Bradley Barcola (Liverpool), Désiré Doué (PSG), Kylian Mbappé (Real Madrid), Michael Olise (Bayern Munich), Marcus Thuram (Inter Milan), Pablo Pagis (Paris FC).
More soccer news
