Jean Butez becomes France’s oldest first-time call-up since 1976

Jean Butez has received his first call-up to the French national team at 31 years and 3 months, according to L'Équipe. The goalkeeper is brought into Zinédine Zidane’s squad to replace Robin Risser, after initially being listed as a “happy substitute.”

A late France debut

The headline figure is the historical one: Butez is set to become the oldest player to attend Clairefontaine for the first time in 50 years. L'Équipe also notes that, since 1976, there hadn’t been a debut like this by age in a first-time France selection.

What it means for Butez

For the player, this isn’t just another opportunity—it’s a career milestone and a reward for his current form. First call-ups of this kind typically bring extra focus from both the media and the national-team setup.

With the squad update already in place, the next question is whether Butez will feature in any of the fixtures for which he’s been called. For now, the key takeaway is clear: he arrives with a record age for his first France invitation.