The message landed when the plane did
Jean Butez had stopped waiting for it. At 31, the Como goalkeeper has his first France call-up, brought in by Zinedine Zidane as cover after Robin Risser withdrew.
He told beIN Sports how he found out. “We were flying back from an away game, including Lucas Da Cunha, and the message when we landed was pretty nice,” he said. “A bit of emotion to share with the team, then with family and friends after that. It was a lovely evening.”
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A record that had stood for 50 years
The stat went round quickly. Butez is the oldest player called into a France squad for the first time since 1976, breaking a mark that had held for half a century.
He is not pretending he missed it. “I saw that stat, and it’s pretty nice that I’m the one who broke the record. You’re never too old for a first cap,” he said.
He also spared a thought for the man he replaced. “It’s unfortunate for Robin that he can’t be here today. Now I’m here to take his place and get a feel for this world, this squad, and I’m delighted.”
Lille, Mouscron, Antwerp, Como
Nothing about that route pointed to Clairefontaine. Butez came through Lille, then had to drop down to Mouscron to play regularly. Antwerp came next, four seasons in Belgium, before the move to Como.
Italy is where his name found its way back to the France staff. The Lombardy club are in Europe this season, and the shop window that comes with it has done the rest.
He may not get a minute this autumn. He will have been inside the setup, though, which is more than most goalkeepers of his generation can say.
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