Jean Butez: The Oldest First-Time France International
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 walked through the terminal, he was a France international.
A first call-up at 31. And not just any first call-up. Butez is now the oldest player to make his debut appearance in a France squad since Gerard Farison back in 1976. Nearly half a century later, the record finally has a new owner.
From late call to late bloomer
The invitation arrived only because RC Lens keeper Robin Risser had to withdraw after medical consultations confirmed physical problems. France’s staff turned to reliability and experience. They turned to Butez.
He did not hide the mix of joy and empathy.
He felt for Risser, whose setback opened the door, but he did not pretend this was anything other than the moment of his career. One message on landing, and everything tilted.
“We were coming back from an away game with Lucas in particular. The message on landing was nice,” Butez said. He had already seen the statistic about his age. “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.”
The surprise fits the story. This is not a prodigy’s tale. It is the long road of a goalkeeper who climbed step by step: Lille, Mouscron, Royal Antwerp, and now Como. No shortcuts, no hype.
A career built on clean sheets
If the name still feels new in the France setup, his record does not. Butez arrives with serious mileage behind him.
At Royal Antwerp he became a cornerstone, driving the club to a stunning domestic treble in 2023. Across that campaign he stacked up 27 clean sheets, numbers that travel well in any league and any language. Coaches notice that kind of consistency. So do national-team selectors, even if it takes time.
Now, that body of work has pushed him through the doors of CNF Clairefontaine, into a dressing room loaded with European stars and a new coaching staff led by Zinedine Zidane.
His first training session with Les Bleus came under the eye of newly appointed goalkeeping coach Fabien Barthez, a man who knows exactly what it means to stand in that position for France. World Cup winner on the bench, late bloomer on the pitch. It is an intriguing pairing.
Butez did not bother hiding how it felt.
"Now, I’m here to replace him and discover a bit of this world, this group," he said. "And I’m the happiest."
Thrown straight into the deep end
There is no gentle introduction waiting for him. France’s UEFA Nations League schedule is brutal: four games in eleven days. Turkey, Italy, and a double-header against Belgium. The kind of run that tests not just a starting XI, but an entire squad.
In that context, Butez is not just a feel-good story. He is insurance, competition, and a genuine option if rotation or circumstance demands it. Goalkeepers rarely come in cold at this level, but if Zidane needs him, he will be calling on a man who has already lived pressure in title races and cup finals.
France head into this Nations League campaign looking for a strong launch under Zidane, with the usual expectations of performance and results. For the head coach, it is about building momentum. For Butez, it is simpler.
After years of work across France and Belgium, after a treble with Antwerp and a move to Como, he finally stands inside the national-team circle, gloves on, badge on his chest.
The question now is no longer whether he is too old for a first call-up. It is whether this late arrival is just a cameo, or the start of an unlikely international chapter.
