France appoint Zinedine Zidane as new coach

Football legend Zinedine Zidane has been appointed as France’s new coach, replacing Didier Deschamps.

French Football Federation (FFF) president Philippe Diallo announced the appointment on Tuesday.

Zidane, 54, has long been viewed as the leading candidate for the role and has been waiting for an opportunity to take charge of the national team for several years.

He has not coached since leaving Real Madrid in 2021.

During his time with the Spanish giants, Zidane led them to three consecutive Champions League titles in 2016, 2017, and 2018 – an unprecedented achievement in the competition’s modern era.

Deschamps has coached France since 2012 and stepped down after the 2026 World Cup, where Les Bleus lost in the semi-finals to Spain.

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France won the World Cup under Deschamps in 2018 and lost the final on penalties in 2022. Les Bleus also lost the European Championship final on home soil in 2016.

Zidane is set to follow in the footsteps of former international teammates Laurent Blanc, who coached the national side from 2010 to 2012, and Deschamps.

He was France’s playmaker when the team won the 1998 World Cup, scoring twice in the final in a 3-0 win against Brazil, and starred two years later when France won the European Championship.

Zidane won the men’s Ballon d’Or in 1998.

He played 108 games for France scoring 31 goals, including a deft Panenka-style penalty in the 2006 World Cup final, which Les Bleus lost after he was sent off in extra time for headbutting Italian defender Marco Materazzi in the chest.

France’s next games are away to Turkey in the Nations League on September 25, followed by a match in Belgium three days later. France then faces Italy at the Stade de France on October 2.