Zinedine Zidane’s wide scouting net leads to surprise France call-up for Sail Koubimbe

Zinedine Zidane says a player’s league should not determine whether they are considered for France, a policy that helped lead to the surprise inclusion of 21-year-old Wolfsburg defender Sail Koubimbe.

Koubimbe, who plays in the German second tier, was called into France’s November camp after Pierre Kalulu withdrew because of injury. France began preparations at Clairefontaine on Monday for Nations League matches against Italy and Turkey, with Koubimbe among the new faces in the squad.

Zidane explained his approach in an interview with Telefoot, saying he watches matches across all levels of the game.

“The coach watches a lot of matches, an enormous number of them,” he said. “I watch all my players, which means a huge number of games, and sometimes I watch some of them again because I need to look at other things and examine the details. That is normal. I can even watch a match in the second division, and I do that from time to time.”

According to French broadcaster RMC, the comments reflected the breadth of Zidane’s scouting and helped explain his decision to turn to Koubimbe as cover for Kalulu.

Koubimbe’s previous connection with Zidane

Koubimbe was already known to Zidane after playing alongside his son Elyaz Zidane in the France youth set-up. That previous connection gave the defender an opportunity to meet the senior coach before receiving his first call-up to the senior side.

Although he currently plays for Wolfsburg in the German second tier, Koubimbe has impressed during his appearances for the youth teams. He provided an assist in France’s 7-1 win over Switzerland on 6 October in qualifying for the next European Championship.

Koubimbe said Zidane had previously visited the youth set-up to offer advice because Elyaz was playing alongside him.

“I am very happy about this,” he told reporters at Clairefontaine on Monday evening. “I had met him before. He came to give us some advice because his son Elyaz was playing with me. But training under him now is fantastic.”

Zidane has also made clear that he continues to monitor young players. During a visit to France Under-21s at Clairefontaine on 30 September, he told them: “I wanted to say hello to you and, above all, welcome you. I know you are working hard. The palace is not far from here, and it is your next step. You must work to get as close to it as possible. I know you are doing good work with your clubs, but the France team remains the France team. I will follow you anyway, almost all of you.”

Koubimbe was preparing to join the youth squad and waiting for a taxi when he received the call informing him he had been selected for the senior team.

“I felt very happy,” he said. “I had not expected to be called up at this time, but I was preparing for this moment.”

He added: “This does not put extra pressure on me. We play for moments like this. If the coach has selected me, it means he has seen my potential. Now I have to show it on the pitch.”

France face Italy on 12 November 2026 in Nations League Path One. Koubimbe said the call-up was “a dream come true”, but added: “It is not the end. I must keep working, remain humble and stay aware of what awaits me.”