Zinedine Zidane Appointed New Manager of France National Team
Zinedine Zidane is finally where so many always believed he was destined to end up: in charge of France.
After years of speculation, polite denials and patient waiting, the French Football Federation made it official on Tuesday morning. A simple line on the official Equipe de France account on X carried the weight of an era shift: “ZINEDINE ZIDANE, NEW [MANAGER] OF THE FRENCH NATIONAL TEAM.”
No fanfare needed. The name does the heavy lifting.
End of an Era, Start of Another
Zidane steps into a role occupied for 14 years by his former team-mate Didier Deschamps, the man who rebuilt Les Bleus from the wreckage of the post-2010 crisis and turned them into world champions in 2018. Deschamps leaves behind a side that reached another World Cup final in 2022 and then a semi-final at the most recent tournament, restoring France’s stature on and off the pitch.
French Football Federation president Philippe Diallo underlined the significance of the moment.
“This is an exceptional moment. It has been 14 years since the federation was in a position to appoint a new head coach,” he said, before paying tribute to Deschamps. “For 14 years he took the France national team to the top. He restored the image of Les Bleus on the pitch. It is important that his work is recognised.”
The bar has been set brutally high. Zidane knows it.
Zidane’s Return to the Touchline
At 54, Zidane returns to management after a five-year absence, his last job ending in 2021 when he walked away from Real Madrid for a second time. The wait was not about a lack of offers. It was about one job.
He admitted as much at his unveiling.
He called it a “great source of pride” to take over the national team, repeating a conviction he has voiced for years: “I’ve often said it: there’s nothing greater than the French national team.”
Joy, pride, responsibility – he hit each note clearly.
“It’s also a responsibility,” he stressed, before thanking Diallo, the executive committee and the federation for their confidence, and acknowledging the 14 years of service from Deschamps and his staff. He spoke, too, of the coaches who shaped him, making it clear he sees himself as part of a long French coaching lineage, not a one-man revolution.
Then came the line that will resonate most with France’s supporters.
“I am truly happy. I am ready for the challenge, it motivates me. The only thing I wanted to do after my experience at Real Madrid.”
A Job He Was Willing to Wait For
Zidane did not hide the fact that he has been biding his time. During his hiatus, major clubs circled. He said no.
“Leading France is the only thing I wanted to do after my experience at Real Madrid. I turned down offers to be the France head coach,” he revealed, making it plain that the role has been his singular target since leaving Madrid.
This is not a coach stumbling into international management late in his career. This is a man who has known the badge since childhood.
“I have known it since I was a child, I started in the youth teams, I went through every stage until reaching the senior national team, the pinnacle,” he said. “The only thing that motivates me is being able to work for this team and see them continue to win.”
The word “continue” matters. Zidane is not taking over a broken project. He is inheriting a powerhouse.
A Serial Winner Takes the Reins
Zidane’s reputation as one of the game’s great managers was built at warp speed in Madrid. Three consecutive Champions League titles with Real, two La Liga crowns, two UEFA Super Cups, two Club World Cups. A trophy list that would define most careers, compressed into a few seasons.
He steps into this job with that aura intact, even after five years out of the dugout. The absence has not eroded his status; if anything, it has added mystique. What does a coach with that record look like after half a decade of reflection, study and silence?
France are about to find out.
And then there is Zidane the player, the icon who lifted the World Cup in 1998 and claimed the Ballon d’Or the same year. The man whose name still carries a visceral charge in French football culture now becomes the architect of the next generation.
Eyes on Euro 2028
Zidane’s first major target is already clear: Euro 2028 in the UK and Ireland. Preparation starts now.
He inherits a squad stacked with talent and scarred by near-misses. A World Cup final lost on penalties. A semi-final exit. A team that has known glory, but also the sting of falling just short.
Zidane has lived both sides of that coin, as player and coach. That blend of triumph and trauma has shaped his entire football life.
Now he carries it into the France dugout.
The worst-kept secret in football is finally reality. The question now is not whether Zidane was destined for this job.
It is what he will do with it.
