Estéban Lepaul was still playing in France’s third division in January 2024. Now the Rennes striker is a candidate for the national team as Zinédine Zidane takes charge of France. Between those two points, he’s climbed through the professional leagues and finished a season as Ligue 1’s leading scorer.
RMC Sport reports that the 26-year-old has received his first preliminary France call-up. It puts him in contention for Zidane’s first squad, which will be announced September 18, rather than guaranteeing a place in the final group. France has four Nations League matches ahead, against Turkey, Belgium, Italy and Belgium again.
His candidacy has a full season behind it. Lepaul scored 21 league goals in 2025–26, one for Angers before his transfer and 20 for Rennes. He appeared in all 34 league games, sustaining the run across a change of clubs and a complete top-flight season. Seven of his goals came in the final seven matches.
The new season has brought three goals in three league appearances. He scored in Rennes’ opening 2–2 draw with Paris Saint-Germain, then twice in the 3–2 victory over Le Mans. The second of that pair was a penalty in the sixth minute of stoppage time, turning a draw into Rennes’ first league win of the campaign.
He’s also been unusually efficient. Ligue 1’s statistical analysis credited him with 15.78 expected goals last season, compared with his actual 21. The difference of 5.22 was the division’s largest positive gap. That doesn’t promise the same return against international defenders, but it gives substance to his reputation as a finisher: he scored more often than the model would normally expect from his chances.
The years before Rennes
Lyon didn’t retain him after his academy years. Lepaul went to Épinal in National 2, the fourth tier, then spent two seasons with Orléans. When he returned to Épinal in 2023, the club was playing in the third division. He scored 12 goals in 16 league appearances before Angers signed him in January 2024. Promotion to Ligue 1 followed that spring.
The distance between those levels wasn’t just a number beside the competition’s name. Lepaul later recalled training with Lyon’s professionals, then finding that snow sometimes prevented training at Épinal. He had to adjust to the conditions as well as the opposition. A route into the professional leagues had to be built from there.
Football also carried a family history. His father, Fabrice, was part of Auxerre’s 1996 title-winning team and died following a road accident in 2020. When Estéban scored his first Ligue 1 goal, against PSG in November 2024, he pointed toward the sky in tribute.
Rennes signed Lepaul in August 2025. The forward who arrived had learned to use movement rather than make every encounter with a defender a test of strength. In a club interview, he explained the value he placed on intelligent positioning and well-timed runs. Rennes sporting director Loïc Désiré had also singled out his positioning and willingness to play for the team when announcing the signing.
His finishing had its own less glamorous preparation. As a child, Lepaul repeatedly struck balls against a wall. He still notices the goal nets when he enters a stadium, including the size of the mesh and how tightly they’re pulled. Scoring is both a practiced technique and something he describes with an attention to detail that reaches beyond the shot itself.
A place in France’s changing forward line would test how those qualities transfer to another level. A league scoring title can justify consideration without settling whether a striker suits a particular international attack. For Zidane, the selection question is how Lepaul’s movement and finishing would fit alongside his other attackers.
Épinal gave him games, Angers gave him a route into Ligue 1, and Rennes became the setting for his scoring title. September 18 could bring another step. He’d arrive with a different credential from the one he brought to Angers: a season spent outscoring every other player in France’s top division.
