Jean Butez: Oldest France International Call-Up in Nearly 50 Years

Jean Butez was still on the plane when his life changed.

The Como goalkeeper, 31 years and three months old, landed from an away trip alongside team‑mate Lucas Da Cunha and switched his phone back on. One message stood out. By the time he stepped into the terminal, he was a France international.

A first call-up at 31. For most players, that door has long since closed. For Butez, it swung open in a rush.

Oldest debutant in nearly 50 years

His late inclusion came after RC Lens keeper Robin Risser pulled out of Zinedine Zidane’s squad due to physical problems, a decision taken after talks between the medical teams. France needed a replacement. They turned to Como’s No 1.

With that call, Butez became the oldest player to receive a first France call-up since Gerard Farison back in 1976. Nearly half a century on, another late bloomer has forced his way into the picture.

Butez knew exactly what that meant.

“I saw that stat, it’s pretty cool that I’m the one who broke that record. But you’re never too old for your first selection. Obviously, I wasn’t expecting it,” he said after arriving at CNF Clairefontaine.

He did not hide his sympathy for Risser, whose setback opened the door, but he did not shy away from the moment either. “Now, I’m here to replace him and discover a bit of this world, this group. And I’m the happiest.”

A long road to Clairefontaine

This is not the story of a prodigy fast-tracked through the system. It is the payoff for a career built far from the spotlight.

Butez came through at Lille, then earned his stripes at Mouscron and Royal Antwerp, climbing steadily rather than exploding onto the scene. In Belgium, he became a cornerstone of Antwerp’s historic 2023 season, when the club swept a domestic treble with Butez keeping 27 clean sheets. Those numbers turned heads.

Now they have carried him all the way to Clairefontaine.

His first session with Les Bleus came under the watch of a goalkeeping legend. Newly appointed coach Fabien Barthez put him through his paces, another surreal twist for a player who spent years watching Barthez on television before he ever dreamed of sharing a training pitch with him.

Butez did not look overawed. He looked ready.

Thrown straight into a brutal schedule

There will be no gentle introduction. France face a punishing UEFA Nations League programme: four matches in eleven days, against Turkey, Italy and a double-header with Belgium.

Zidane needs depth. He needs competition. He needs keepers who can step in without fuss if required.

That is where Butez comes in. He may start as cover, but in a window this intense, the No 2 and No 3 are never just spectators.

For now, he is soaking in the environment, training among Europe’s elite and wearing the France crest at last. A late call, a late debutant, but a goalkeeper whose timing suddenly feels perfect.

The Nations League will show whether this is a brief cameo or the start of an unlikely international chapter.