Wire flash
SportsZinedine Zidane to be officially unveiled as France manager on July 28, ending five-year coaching hiatus
Editorial responsibility
- No named human review is recorded for this page.
- Source reporting is collected, normalized, translated or condensed automatically when needed.
- Automatically published source-backed update
The article reports that Zinedine Zidane, the 1998 World Cup champion and former Real Madrid manager, is set to be officially introduced as the new manager of the French national team on July 28, 2026, ending a five-year hiatus from coaching since leaving Real Madrid in 2021. During this period, Zidane remained out of the media spotlight but stayed active through family life, charity matches, galas, and events with the 1998 World Cup champions. He maintained his physical condition and showcased his football skills at events like Bordeaux's Chaban-Delmas stadium anniversary. His children, all footballers, kept him connected to the sport. His last public appearances included attending World Cup matches involving Algeria, Argentina, Brazil, and Morocco. The article notes his enduring popularity, comparing him to French rock star Johnny Hallyday, and mentions his name was linked to several clubs during his absence.
Source report
Future manager of the France national team, Zinédine Zidane has not coached since 2021 and the end of his second stint at Real Madrid. For five years, he stayed away from the media noise — but not inactive.
The time has (almost) come to stop speaking in hypotheticals when mentioning Zinédine Zidane and the France national team bench. Barring an unlikely turnaround, the 1998 World Cup champion will be introduced as the new manager of Les Bleus this Tuesday during a press conference. The end of a long — and false — suspense that lasted several years.
While his name was linked to the France team at every new competition, and even more so since 2021 and the fatigue felt by part of the public towards Didier Deschamps, "ZZ" himself stayed away from the media noise. After the end of his second stint at Real Madrid (2019–2021) — a tenure less fruitful than the first in terms of trophies (three Champions Leagues between 2016 and 2018) — he patiently waited for his moment while staying away from any football activity.
"The Guy Is Johnny Hallyday"
A grandfather (his eldest, Enzo, has three children) and married for over 30 years to his wife, Véronique, Zidane remained close to his family. His children — Enzo, Théo, Luca, and Elyaz — all footballers (Enzo hung up his boots in 2024) kept him connected to the round ball during all these years without activity. Before being present in the stands during the World Cup final between Spain and Argentina, his last public appearance was at the group stage match between Algeria and Argentina — a game where Luca Zidane was the starter in goal for the Fennecs. Just before that, he attended the Brazil–Morocco clash.
More broadly, since 2021, he has maintained his physical condition and participated in galas, charity matches, or events related to the 1998 World Cup champions. In May 2024, he showed he hadn't lost any of his technique by treating the Bordeaux public, gathered at the Chaban-Delmas stadium for the 100th anniversary of the former Parc Lescure, to a fantastic run.
As soon as he put his boots back on, ZZ was always accompanied by the same fervor, as Eric Di Meco confided in December 2025 after the "The Universe League" event at the Stade Vélodrome in Marseille. "The guy is Johnny Hallyday! People come to see him," our consultant exclaimed. "What fascinates me about him is that he's always the same, discreet and reserved, despite a life…"
His Name Linked to Several Clubs
Source
Home Football - actualitésWestern
Part of this Story
Zinedine Zidane's Five-Year Hiatus from Coaching Before France National Team Appointment