Zacharie Boucher chooses to represent Madagascar at 34 years old

Zacharie Boucher, the 34-year-old goalkeeper of Troyes, has decided to pursue his international career with Madagascar after being named in the 'Barea' squad for the upcoming Africa Cup of Nations Qualification matches against Nigeria and Tanzania.

This is Bouché's first call-up with the Madagascar national team after years of refusing to represent the team, as he had clearly closed the door on this option when he was a goalkeeper for AJ Auxerre.

In 2018, Nicolas Dupuy, then coach of Madagascar, expressed his desire to convince Boucher to join the national team, but the French goalkeeper confirmed in previous statements that he did not hold Malagasy citizenship at that time, emphasizing his ties to France and his desire to represent only its national team.

After eight years, Boucher's stance has changed significantly as he decided to leverage his Malagasy roots and begin his international career with the Madagascar national team, a move that gives him the opportunity to appear on the international stage for the first time in his career.