Désiré Doué will travel with the France squad for next week’s Nations League trip to the San Siro backed by a France head coach who says the 21-year-old Paris Saint-Germain forward reminds him of his younger self.
Asked about Doué at his squad unveiling for the November window, Zinedine Zidane pointed to the player’s attentiveness and desire to progress as traits he remembers from his own early years in the game.
“What I really like is that he wants to progress and to win. He is very attentive. I love what he does on the pitch, but I recognise a little bit of myself in him, because I wanted to progress, to listen to the older players, and that is what he does very well,” Zidane told reporters.
Zidane took over from Didier Deschamps on a four-year deal on 28 July after France’s fourth-place finish at the 2026 World Cup. This is his first Nations League cycle as national coach.
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Golden Boy with back-to-back European titles
The comparison lands on a player whose club record already reads like that of an established senior. Doué was crowned Golden Boy in 2025 as Europe’s best under-21 player, and has won the Champions League and Ligue 1 in back-to-back seasons with PSG.
He debuted for France in March 2025 and has been a regular since. He came off the bench to score the equaliser in a 4-1 win over Belgium on 5 October, one of three substitutes who turned a losing position into a four-goal win inside the final 14 minutes. That took him to 19 caps and four goals for the senior team.
Mbappé back, maiden call for Pagis
Kylian Mbappé is back in the squad after missing the previous camp through injury, and Marcus Thuram is also recalled. Paris FC’s Pablo Pagis earned a maiden call-up, with seven senior names ruled out injured including Ousmane Dembélé, Jules Koundé and William Saliba.
France top League A, Group 1 with ten points from four matches, three clear of Italy. They play Italy at the San Siro on Thursday 12 November and host Turkey at the Stade Atlantique in Bordeaux on Sunday 15 November to close out the league phase.
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