Mbappe Makes Feelings Clear On Zidane Replacing Deschamps As France Boss

Zinedine Zidane was one of the greatest football players of all time and has enjoyed huge success as the manager of Real Madrid.

Zidane won the Champions League once as a Real Madrid player and three times consecutively as their manager but has shown little inclination to manage outside the club where he rose to epic heights on the pitch.

The 53-year-old is frequently linked with the biggest managerial jobs in world football and is reportedly in the running for the vacant Fenerbahce job left behind by Jose Mourinho.

Yet the World Cup winner's willingness to spend time away from the spotlight leaves question marks over his desire to pursue a career in the most pressurised jobs in the game, with some believing that the role most likely to tempt him is the other former team with which he shared glories as a player.

Zidane won a home World Cup and the subsequent European Championship with France. His captain on both occasions was Didier Deschamps, who has been the national team manager since 2012.

He too is a serial winner in both management and his playing career. Most recently, he steered Les Bleus to the finals of the last two World Cup tournaments, winning a historic final against Croatia in Russia in 2018.

Yet all good things come to an end and few international bosses see out a decade in the job, never mind another five years on top of that.

France's star player, Kylian Mbappe, discussed Deschamps' succession with L'Equipe and was understandably positive about the suggestion that Zidane could step up.

Real Madrid and France star Kylian Mbappe (Image: Getty)

"Nobody is going to say no. Only he can say no," said the Real Madrid forward.

"If it's him, fine! But if it's someone else, fine too. But he's the only one in the history of French football who has almost all the rights."

France's best-ever team?

Mbappe was asked if the current generation can be considered France's most talented squad.

"The most talented, yes. The strongest, not yet. The one with the most potential, yes. It is infinite," he claimed.

"In all positions, they play as starters in the best clubs in the world. We just have to. But as a team, we are not yet stronger than the team that was world champion in 2018, than the one that made the final in 2022.

"Does this team have the potential to be the best team? 100%. Will it be? It's up to us to do it."

France, who already have a play-off spot locked in should they need it after their most recent Nations League campaign, started World Cup qualification with two wins.

Mbappe scored against Ukraine and Iceland in the September international window.