Zinedine Zidane appointed France head coach on four-year deal

By Charlotte Harpur

Zinedine Zidane had been waiting for this moment a very long time.

Absent from management since he left Real Madrid in May 2021, Zidane has rarely spoken to journalists or made media appearances during his self-imposed hiatus from football. He turned down multiple offers from clubs interested in making him their manager or head coach.

There was a good reason for Zidane’s reticence.

According to France Football Federation (FFF) president Philippe Diallo, Zidane had declared that his sole interest, were he to return to the game, lay in managing the French men’s national team — the same team he helped win the 1998 World Cup and 2000 European Championship as a player.

Didier Deschamps decided in January last year that he would leave the role he had held since 2012 after this summer’s World Cup. Diallo says he met in person with Zidane the following month to discuss his succession.

That all culminated in a press conference at the FFF headquarters in Paris on Tuesday to announce Zidane’s appointment on a four-year contract, although this was imbued with far more drama than a standard managerial unveiling.

Security personnel surrounded the building as fans sporting replicas of Zidane’s blue No. 10 France shirt stood waiting outside. As he and Diallo opened the doors to a press-conference room packed with journalists, photographers surged towards one of French sport’s great heroes — and a worldwide football icon.

“Today represents continuity, a dream,” said Zidane, the son of North African immigrants and father to current Algeria international goalkeeper Luca Zidane. “It’s the only thing I’ve ever wanted to do (since Madrid)… Now it’s finally happening. Naturally, I’m a bit moved, but you can’t tell. I’m just really excited. It’s a big moment for me.”

The words carried emotion, but the delivery barely registered. Zidane spoke softly, revealing little beyond a faint smile.

“I don’t have any other words,” he said, sitting behind a desk with Diallo, smartly but modestly dressed in a dark blue suit and tie.

A Deep-Rooted Connection

The deep-rooted connection with the national team is obvious.

Zidane — or “Zizou,” as he was known in his playing career — went from scaling the French youth age groups to starring as they won their first World Cup in 1998. He scored twice in a 3-0 victory over Brazil at the Stade de France in Paris.

“It was the best thing that ever happened to me — winning with my friends,” he reflected.

The 54-year-old already arrives with the fans’ overwhelming support.

“Zidane is God,” said Francois Santoni, a member of fans’ group Les Baroudeurs du Sport. “I started loving football by watching him. The best French player of all time will coach the best squad we have had for a long time. The way he ended his career was so sad. He couldn’t end like that with Les Bleus. He has the love, like Deschamps, for this jersey.”

A Bitter End, A New Beginning

That bitter end came in extra time at the 2006 World Cup final. Zidane, who had already said the game would be his last as a player at age 34, was provoked into headbutting opponent Marco Materazzi and got sent off. The match ended 1-1 (guess who scored for France), Italy won a penalty shootout 5-3, and Zidane’s moment of uncontrolled rage entered sporting infamy.

The irony is that he comes across as very serene. Transmitting calmness through a team, Zidane previously noted, is fundamental to his role. Even now, he remains an enigmatic presence: a strong poker face, measured, and comfortable with silence.

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