Zinedine Zidane has made it clear that he will not be the central figure in the new chapter for France, opting instead to support his exceptional team from the sidelines.
As France prepares to take on Turkey in their Nations League debut at Kocaeli Stadium on Friday, Zidane will be managing his nation for the first time in the wake of Didier Deschamps’ 14-year tenure.
Under Deschamps, Les Bleus achieved tremendous success, winning the World Cup in 2018 and finishing as runners-up in both the 2022 World Cup and Euro 2016 during his remarkable leadership.
Deschamps oversaw a total of 187 matches and was also a player for France, earning 103 caps himself. Notably, he holds the record for the most World Cup matches coached, with 26.
With Zidane’s appointment hailed as a major event, his legendary status in French football amplifies expectations.
He famously scored two goals in France’s historic 1998 World Cup final victory against Brazil and remains the last Frenchman to win the Ballon d’Or, taking home the award that same year.
In two separate tenures as Real Madrid’s head coach, Zidane led the team to three consecutive Champions League titles, two La Liga championships, two Club World Cups, two UEFA Super Cups, and two Supercopa de España victories.
Despite this impressive record, the former midfielder emphasizes that the spotlight should be on the players. He stated, “After 14 years of Didier, this is new. But the protagonists are the players. I’m going to stay in my role.”
Expressing a deep emotional connection to his coaching role, he added that this feeling perhaps even surpasses the excitement he felt before his first game as a player.
One of Zidane’s critical challenges will be managing the egos of various star attackers.
Before heading to Turkey, Zinédine Zidane’s Bleus took part in a behind-closed-doors training session at Clairefontaine, including some finishing drills! pic.twitter.com/0Dj2PUTuNq
— French Team (@FrenchTeam) September 24, 2026
During this summer’s World Cup, France secured a fourth-place finish, while Kylian Mbappe dazzled by breaking the record for goal involvements at a single tournament (14 – 10 goals, four assists) and becoming the all-time leading scorer in the competition’s history (22 goals).
Michael Olise achieved a record number of assists (seven) at a single World Cup since 1966, while Ousmane Dembele contributed with six goals and two assists.
When asked about his plans for deploying Dembele, Zidane replied, “You’ll see tomorrow. We have put things in place. The idea is to do interesting things.”
He cautioned against focusing solely on his influence, remarking, “We only had three training sessions. We put two or three things in place. We will have to be good tomorrow.”
At a pre-match press conference, Adrien Rabiot joined Zidane and expressed that Deschamps’ side was tactically outmatched by the eventual champions, Spain, in their World Cup semi-final, which concluded with a 2-0 defeat.
Rabiot stated, “I’m thinking about the Nations League. We know that things in football move fast. The coach is here for four years. We have to take this competition and use it.”
He added, “It wasn’t a lack of quality. We have no less quality than Spain, with all humility. They were better tactically; they may have prepared better for that match.”
Rabiot emphasized that if they faced Spain again, they would need to pinpoint their weaknesses and improve on their tactical approach, acknowledging the collective and individual talent within the team.
Fan Take: Zidane’s leadership marks a significant transition for French football, as he steps into a role filled by a coach who brought immense success. Fans should be excited about how his tactical innovations might reshape the team, especially with a roster filled with top-tier talent.
Source: www.soccernews.com
