Too versatile to get his chance? Warren Zaïre-Emery, undisputed bench champion for France

PSG midfielder Zaïre-Emery remained on the bench in France's 3-1 loss to Italy under new manager Zidane, continuing a pattern of limited playing time despite his versatility and strong attitude.

Warren Zaïre-Emery made his debut under Zinédine Zidane on Thursday but spent the entire match on the bench as France lost 3-1 to Italy. The 20-year-old PSG midfielder has become accustomed to this role: since his first cap in 2023, he has earned only 13 appearances from 35 squad selections.

Zaïre-Emery's lack of playing time is a recurring theme. He featured in Euro 2024 but did not play a single minute, and at the World Cup he only entered during the quarter-final against Morocco when the result was already decided.

Despite his versatility—he has played midfield and right-back effectively for PSG—Zidane has indicated he wants him in midfield specifically, preferring specialist Malo Gusto at right-back even though Koundé and Kalulu were unavailable.

The question lingers: is Zaïre-Emery's versatility a curse rather than a blessing? He was PSG's most-used player in 2025-26 with 4,224 minutes but was controversially left out of the Champions League final by Luis Enrique, who later apologized. Zaïre-Emery maintains a quiet, professional demeanor and has not complained publicly, but he will hope for minutes in Sunday's Nations League match against Turkey.