Wendie Renard, Eugénie Le Sommer and Kenza Dali not called up to the French national team, less than two months before the Euro

And suddenly, Albert Einstein invited himself to Laurent Bonadéi's press conference. "Einstein said that madness is always doing the same thing and expecting a different result. Since I want different results for this team, I decided to do things differently," explained the coach of the French women's football team, unveiling, on Thursday, May 22, the list of 24 players selected to play the next two Nations League matches. A list from which three illustrious names are missing: Wendie Renard, Eugénie Le Sommer and Kenza Dali.

The absence of these three French players is a surprise, less than two months before the start of the Euro 2020 in Switzerland (July 2-27). However, it reflects the desire of the coach of the French team, in office since the departure of Hervé Renard after the Paris 2024 Olympic Games, to initiate a renewal and rejuvenation of his squad in view of the upcoming international competitions.

"This is not a decision made against these players ," declared Laurent Bonadéi. "It is not in relation to their level, it is a choice made for younger players, who represent the future of the French team, with the project that I must lead in the years to come." He particularly regretted that some French players discovered international competitions late in their careers, which could have harmed the Blues during decisive matches.

The coach called the three players on Tuesday evening to inform them of their non-call-up. The question of their future in the French national team now arises. Will Wendie Renard (34 years old, 168 caps), who has worn the captain's armband for ten years – with a break during Corinne Diacre's tenure –, Eugénie Le Sommer (36 years old, 200 caps), the top scorer in the history of Les Bleues (94 goals), and Kenza Dali (33 years old, 76 caps) follow in the footsteps of Amandine Henry, who announced the end of her international career in October 2024?

"We can never predict the future. (…) I don't know how they will react to this press conference , " explained Laurent Bonadéi. He warned that he would initiate a discussion with those summoned at the start of the meeting, "because I know that these decisions can create collateral damage."

These discussions will also focus on the identity of the future captain. In recent months, several players (Grace Geyoro, Pauline Peyraud-Magnin, Sakina Karchaoui, Griedge Mbock, Sandie Toletti) have worn the armband. "Maëlle Lakrar and Selma Bacha also have all the abilities to potentially take the lead at some point," said Laurent Bonadéi, who knows that "succeeding Wendie Renard is a difficult task."

The coach's gamble, which is banking on the youth of his squad in the hope of reaping the rewards over the long term, is proving risky, especially with less than two months to go before the start of the Euro, a competition that the French team has yet to win. Before that, Les Bleues will face Switzerland (May 30) and Iceland (June 3) in the Nations League, for which they have already qualified for the semi-finals, which will take place in October.

They will then prepare for the Euro with two friendlies against Belgium (June 20) and Brazil (June 27), before opening the tournament against England on July 5. This clash against the reigning European champions will allow us to gauge whether Laurent Bonadéi has done the right thing in applying Albert Einstein's maxim to his French team.

Goalkeepers: Justine Lerond (Montpellier), Pauline Peyraud-Magnin (Juventus), Constance Picaud (Fleury).