French National Team

Stade Rennais forward Esteban Le Paul faced online backlash after expressing patriotism following his maiden France call-up under Zinedine Zidane, sparking political debates.

The Tricolores, in a secondary squad reinforced by Sylvain Francisco and Guerschon Yabusele, were defeated 110:72 by Murray State. The Panathinaikos star tried to explain: "They just threw us together."

Zinedine Zidane, who took over the French national team, admitted that he had turned down club offers for years for this role. In the football world, managing a national team is often seen as a "pension plan" compared to the daily grind of club management.