Toulouse FC goalkeeper Guillaume Restes received his first senior call-up to the France national team on Friday, 18 September. He is the first player from the club to be selected for Les Bleus since Étienne Capoue and Moussa Sissoko in October 2012.
The 21-year-old Toulouse native, a product of the club's academy, was chosen by new manager Zinédine Zidane for the upcoming Nations League matches. Restes has already made over 100 professional appearances for TFC since his debut in 2023. He previously represented France at U17 and U18 levels and won a silver medal at the 2024 Paris Olympics under Thierry Henry.
France goalkeeping coach Fabien Barthez, a former Toulouse player, played a key part in the selection. He first identified Restes at age 13 or 14 and spoke with him by phone before the announcement. The club reacted with pride on social media.
"Always an immense pride to see our youngsters reach the Blues," Toulouse FC wrote on its Instagram account.
This individual honour comes as the first team experiences a mixed start to the Ligue 1 season. TFC currently sits 13th with 5 points from five games, recording one win, two draws and two losses. Their last outing was a 3-2 win over Le Havre on 19 September, featuring a brace from Casper Tengstedt. The next fixture, on 10 October, is a major test away to league leaders AS Monaco.
Guillaume Restes joins the France squad as backup to Mike Maignan, competing with Robin Risser for the role. France will face Turkey on 25 September, Belgium on 28 September, Italy on 2 October and Germany on 5 October. For Restes, this call-up caps a rapid rise from the Toulouse academy pitches to the pinnacle of international football. His recent form has been solid, averaging 2.5 saves per game this season. His journey is all the more remarkable as he reached the milestone of 100 professional matches in just 18 months, an exceptional rate of progression for a goalkeeper of his age.
The original report is at Actu.fr
