Zidane returns as France coach after five‑year wait
Zinedine Zidane has been appointed head coach of the France national team, ending a five‑year absence from management after he turned down multiple club offers while waiting for the position to open.
The announcement came at a press conference on Monday morning, one day after Didier Deschamps formally resigned following 12 years in charge.
A deliberate pause
Zidane has not held a coaching role since leaving his second spell at Real Madrid in 2021. In that period he was linked with several high‑profile vacancies, including Manchester United, but declined them all.
“In the last four or five years, I had offers to join a club and I refused them all for the France national team. This job is the only job I wanted to do after my career with Real Madrid. I’ve always seen the France national team in the view of a fan — but also as a future manager.”
The path cleared in early 2025 when Deschamps announced he would step down after the next World Cup. Zidane met with French Football Federation president Philippe Diallo in February 2025 and made his intentions clear.
“Mr President, I know how to win,” Zidane told Diallo, according to the federation chief.
“When he said that, I knew he had the desire and the confidence to take charge of the team,” Diallo added.
Following a golden era
Deschamps leaves behind one of the most successful periods in French football history. France won the World Cup in 2018. They captured the Nations League trophy in 2021. The team also finished as runners‑up at the European Championship in 2016 and at the World Cup in 2022.
Zidane acknowledged the magnitude of the inheritance. “The team’s run and style of play were magnificent. I was there in person and had a great time, just like the other fans. There are no complaints about how things went.”
His own managerial résumé carries comparable weight at club level. Across two spells at Real Madrid he won two La Liga titles. He lifted three consecutive Champions League trophies. Those titles came between 2016 and 2018.
Continuity with a different voice
Zidane insisted he would not make a clean break from the Deschamps era. “Honestly, we’re going to do things differently. Didier Deschamps is Didier Deschamps. Laurent Blanc was Laurent Blanc. Zizou is Zizou. I’m going to try to do what I know how to do. It’s not a clean break, either. I want to maintain continuity so that the French team keeps winning.”
Confidence in the new role
Addressing concerns about his lack of international‑team experience, Zidane was unequivocal. “There’s no worry. It’s a completely different job from club coaching. It doesn’t scare me. I’ll have a balance between my personal life and the French national team. It suits me perfectly.”
“It’s a completely different job from club coaching. It doesn’t scare me. I’ll have a balance between my personal life and the French national team. It suits me perfectly. It’s a different kind of job, and I have no issues with that.”
He added that he did not sit idle during his hiatus. “I didn’t sit around twiddling my thumbs for five years. I watched more matches than when I was coaching Real Madrid. I saw a huge number of them. I watched the French national team a lot, and there is great potential.”
Looking ahead
Zidane will now begin preparing the squad for the upcoming international window and the next phase of World Cup qualifying, aiming to extend the winning tradition he inherits while imprinting his own tactical ideas on the team.