RB Leipzig center back, Dayot Upamecano has been rewarded with his first call-up to the France senior squad.
The 21-year-old defender had outstanding season throughout the 2019/20 – and especially in the latter stages of the UEFA Champions League where helped to knock out Atletico Madrid in the last eight.
Upamecano has been a force to be reckoned with in the Bundesliga ever since moving to the club from Red Bull Salzburg in January 2017.
He is fondly called ‘Supamecano’ by his Leipzig teammates for his excellent defending abilities. He has made 83 appearances in the German top-flight so far and he has been linked with a move away from the club.
How Dayot Upamecano won France call-up
Having been a first-team regular at the Red Bull Arena, and a firm favourite of Julian Nagelsmann, the 6’1″ center-back completed 100 percent of his challenges and dribbles. He also has 92 percent pass rate, which makes him the joint-most touches of the ball in that game (99).
These and more have made it impossible for France head coach Didier Deschamps to ignore Upamecano.
“We’ve followed him, he was close to a call-up. He’s very physical, has a great presence, and what he was able to do in this final round of the Champions’ League – I felt this was the right moment to call him up. Now it’s up to him to keep this level up.”
He has made 46 international appearances for France at youth levels ranging from U16 to U2. He will now be hoping to make his senior bow for his country in either of their UEFA Nations League matches against Sweden and Croatia, which holds on 5 and 8 September respectively.
At 21 years old, Upamecano has emerged into one of the hottest center backs in Europe. With his €42 million release clause set to kick in next summer, there will be a bevy of clubs in for his services.
Other Bundesliga players invited include Bayern Munich’s Lucas Hernandez while his compatriots, Benjamin Pavard, Kingsley Coman, and Corentin Tolisso have all been rested by Deschamps.
