Esteban Lepaul: The striker ready to cancel his wedding to follow his World Cup dream

27 Apr 2026 14:57 BST |
4 min read

Ligue 1’s top scorer Esteban Lepaul is set for a big summer – but the Rennes striker is ready to revise his plan of getting married if he is handed a call-up for the France team to play in the 2026 World Cup.

The 26-year-old striker was playing in France’s third tier as recently as January 2024, but a €200,000 switch to Angers proved the catalyst to an incredible rise that could yet see him mixing it with the world’s best in North America in a matter of weeks.

Following a €13.5m move to Rennes last summer, the forward has scored 18 goals to become Ligue 1’s top scorer ahead of the likes of Mason Greenwood and Ballon d’Or winner Ousmane Dembele.

This meteoric leap has seen him attract the attention of Chelsea owners BlueCo, and a switch to Strasbourg has been rumoured by But ahead of the transfer window. He is seen as a replacement for the Blues-bound Emmanuel Emegha and an alternative to the seriously injured Joaquin Panichelli.

A secret weapon for France?

More immediately, though, Lepaul’s scoring exploits in France’s top-flight have seen him touted for a possible international call prior to the World Cup. And it appears that he is not about to let his wedding get in the way, greeting the suggestion that he could postpone the ceremony should he get the nod from Didier Deschamps with a cheeky smile.

Speaking to Telefoot (via FootMercato) about the prospect of representing his country, he said: “Deep down, with the career I’ve had, I can’t afford to deprive myself of any opportunities.

“Playing for the French national team is a dream for everyone. If I have the chance and the honour to represent my country one day, to sing the Marseillaise, that would be the Holy Grail. I think there’s nothing higher than playing for the national team. And the World Cup is the pinnacle.”

Lepaul openly admits that finishing as Ligue 1’s top scorer – an achievement that may be his only route to the France side while playing with Rennes given the loaded nature of Les Bleus’ attack – is now his target.

“Following in the footsteps of Edinson Cavani, Zlatan Ibrahimovic, Kylian Mbappe and Dembele is definitely something special. There are some big names who have achieved this, and I’m not going to pass up this top scorer title,” he said.

“Scoring goals is what motivates me most in life. If I don’t score, I’m unhappy. It might sound silly, but to be happy, I need to score.”

The late bloomer has modelled his game on some of football’s leading strikers in recent years.

“I’ve always admired Sergio Aguero and Luis Suarez, and today I love Erling Haaland and Antoine Griezmann,” he said. “With Griezmann, it’s his ability to do everything on the pitch that I admired, and with Haaland, it’s this constant obsession with scoring.”

Esteban Lepaul: How good is he?

Lepaul, who was a youth at Lyon, most closely resembles Haaland in his playing style, thriving in the box as his scoring record would suggest. But just how far can he go?

Data analytics firm SciSports reports that over the last six months, Lepaul’s game has gone through a sustained period of ‘rapid development’. But despite this, there is still some concern that he might not be ready for an absolute elite club.

SciSports’ Career Advice tool, which guides players to the optimal transfer based on a wide variety of metrics, suggests that Aston Villa would be his optimal club. Borussia Dortmund and Napoli are also seen as strong options based on this analysis, which draws from potential development, likely game time, playing style and formation.

Manchester United and Barcelona are also seen as decent options, though he would be little more than a backup squad filler at those giants.

This paints a pretty accurate picture of where Lepaul’s career is at currently. He is a player who would not be disgraced in any company, but who may find the top level just a little beyond him.

That’s bad news for his World Cup chances, but probably good news for his forthcoming marriage.