After 14 years with FIFA World Cup-winning player and coach Didier Deschamps at the helm, the French national team is now officially under the stewardship of ex-captain Zinedine Zidane.
An appointment which had been largely expected for months, this marks the 54-year-old’s first head coaching role since leaving Real Madrid in 2021, where he won La Liga twice and the UEFA Champions League three times across two stints in charge,
Speaking to reporters on Tuesday, Zidane, who won the World Cup alongside Deschamps in 1998 and reached the Final in 2006, during which he was sent off for headbutting Marco Materazzi, admitted that taking charge of Les Bleus was a lifelong dream come true.
“Today, for me, it is just a continuity, a dream,” he said, via an online translation. “What I can tell you is that I have had proposals for the last four or five years, to start a club again.
“I have rejected all of them for the French team. For me, the French team is the only thing I wanted to do after my career, after my experience with Real Madrid. It was the only thing I wanted to do, to train this French team. I have known it since I was a kid.”
Zidane joins a French team fresh off of a disappointing World Cup run in North America where, largely seen as favorites to win the title ahead of time, Deschamps’ side lost 1-0 to eventual champions Spain in the semifinal before falling 6-4 to England in the third-place playoff.
Now with just two years to go until UEFA Euro 2028 in England, Scotland, Wales, and the Republic of Ireland, Zidane has little time to waste if he’s to capitalize on the golden generation of talent at his disposal.
“I will give everything so that this team continues to win. This is the only thing that motivates me, to be able to work for this French team, and for it to continue to win,” he said.
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“I would like to congratulate, as you said, [Didier] and all his staff, of course, for these 14 remarkable years. I just want to tell him, [Didier], bravo for everything you have done.
“Everyone is grateful for the work you have done. I would like to congratulate you. This is an opportunity for me to tell you bravo.
“Now, there is another step that will open up with our staff, with other people. But always for the same thing, that is to say, for the French team to win. So, President, you have chosen me. I will give all my energy for this team. I have started to work, but I can't wait to be there.”
Key to unlocking this French team’s potential will be getting the most out of striker and captain Kylian Mbappé, who won the Golden Boot with 10 goals at this summer’s tournament. Asked if he had spoken with the Real Madrid star yet, Zidane replied, “We haven't talked to Kylian. I think the most important thing for him is to rest, to enjoy his moments of rest that he has earned after this season and after the World Cup. And we will have the opportunity to talk about all this with him and all the players soon in September.”
Looking forward to what can be expected from his team, Zidane kept his cards close to his chest. However, he did say, “What I can tell you is that I am driven by the game.
“I was a number 10. What drives me is to score goals. Of course, you need a team balance. It is more important. But what drives me is the game. I lived 25 years in Spain. You know what that means.
“I started in France. And as I told you, I am a number 10. On the pitch, I was a leader. A field leader. And today I will become a leader by my experience, by what I have done, by what I believe to be now as a coach.”
Zidane’s first game in charge will be on September 25 in the Nations League when France takes on Türkiye, followed by Belgium three days later.
Source: Alloutsoccer.com
