Overview

• The 28-year-old performed the newcomer ritual at Clairefontaine, singing Les Champs-Élysées in a moment captured by FFF cameras that he joked went poorly after he forgot the lyrics.
• He said he discovered his selection on television while in Poland on club duty, calling his first senior summons a long-held dream.
• Didier Deschamps told him the choice was deserved and urged him to play with freedom, while Thierry Henry phoned to congratulate him and continues to offer advice.
• With several regular attackers unavailable, he is viewed as a candidate for minutes in the October fixtures against Azerbaijan on Friday and Iceland on Monday.
• Mateta is a 1.93 m forward for Crystal Palace who rose to wider prominence with five goals at Paris 2024.