Zinedine Zidane confirmed on Friday that Kylian Mbappe would be France’s captain after naming his first squad since being appointed as the successor to Didier Deschamps as coach of Les Bleus.
Mbappe shone in his role as skipper at the World Cup and finished as the tournament’s top scorer with 10 goals, although France were beaten by eventual champions Spain in the semi-finals.
That defeat brought to an end the 14-year reign of coach Deschamps, the highlight of which was the World Cup triumph in 2018. Zidane, who played alongside Deschamps in the France sides that won the 1998 World Cup and Euro 2000, was unveiled at the end of July as the new coach on a four-year contract.
His first matches in charge come in the UEFA Nations League, beginning with a trip to Turkey next Friday and then a meeting with Belgium in Brussels on September 28.
Zidane’s first home game at the helm will be against Italy at the Stade de France on October 2, with his new charges then hosting Belgium three days later.
Centre-back Jeremy Jacquet, 21, is included as a reward for his performances with Liverpool since moving to the Premier League club during the close season.
Rennes striker Esteban Lepaul, the top scorer in Ligue 1 last season, gets a first call-up while there is a place for the midfielder Lucas Da Cunha of Como in Serie A.
France squad
Goalkeepers: Mike Maignan (AC Milan/ITA), Robin Risser (Lens), Guillaume Restes (Toulouse)
Defenders: Andy Diouf (Inter Milan/ITA), Jeremy Jacquet (Liverpool/ENG), Ibrahima Konate (Real Madrid/ESP), Pierre Kalulu (Juventus/ITA), Jules Kounde (Barcelona/ESP), Maxence Lacroix (Chelsea/ENG), Adrien Truffert (Bournemouth/ENG), Dayot Upamecano (Bayern Munich/GER)
Midfielders: Eduardo Camavinga (Real Madrid/ESP), Rayan Cherki (Manchester City/ENG), Lucas Da Cunha (Como/ITA), Manu Kone (Roma/ITA), Adrien Rabiot (AC Milan/ITA), Warren Zaire-Emery (Paris Saint-Germain)