Zinedine Zidane set to finally make return to football with new team announcement 'very close'
Zinedine Zidane's next managerial job has been 'decided' as an official announcement is 'very close'.
Zidane has been out of work since May 2021 when he resigned from Real Madrid for a second time in his managerial career.
The 53-year-old, who played for Real from 2001 to 2006, won three consecutive Champions Leagues and a La Liga title in his first spell as manager between 2016 and 2018.
He left in May 2018 but returned for a second spell just 10 months later and secured a second La Liga title.
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Zidane walked away from his post after they failed to win a trophy in the 2020/21 season.
He has been sitting on the sidelines since his latest Real departure but a return to management is on the cards.
According to RMC reporter Gilbert Brisbois, Zidane will replace Didier Deschamps as France national team manager after the 2026 World Cup and an announcement is 'very close'.
He said via Defensa Central: "Didier Deschamps will leave in 2026. In a year, we'll have Zidane! What a joy! It's done, it's decided."
At the start of the year, Deschamps announced he will stand down as France head coach after next summer's World Cup in the United States, Canada and Mexico.
The 56-year-old will have been France boss for 14 years by the time he departs.
He led France to World Cup glory in 2018, becoming just the third man to win the World Cup as a player and a manager.
What has Zinedine Zidane said about being the next France manager?
Zidane enjoyed a legendary international career with France, having won the World Cup in 1998 and the Euros in 2000.
He scored a brace in the home World Cup final, beating Brazil 3-0 at the Stade de France.
Zidane has been strongly linked with the France job over the years and he said it would be a 'great pleasure' if he lands the gig.
"There's a coach in charge, there's a team, and you have to respect everything, and that's what we're doing," he said. "I've always respected football and the people, so it's not the right time. But when the time comes, it will be a great pleasure if the opportunity arises. I've put my career on hold for a while, but I fully feel like a coach."
French media have already delivered their verdict on Zinedine Zidane becoming the next France manager
Zidane returning to management as the France head coach would be seismic news in Europe considering his icon status.
And the French media have already had their say on him becoming the next boss of the national team.
Julien Laurens, who has appeared on TNT Sports in the UK, has backed Zidane to replace Deschamps, claiming there is 'so much passion and love' between him and the national team.
"There is a very particular love story between him and the national team - as a player in '98 and 2000, then retiring in 2004 after the Euros and returning to save the nation and lead his team to another final in 2006," he explained.
"We know how that ended [Zidane was dismissed for a headbutt during France's defeat in the final], but there is so much passion and love between him and the national team.
"It is inevitable that he is the favourite to become his country's new manager."
Topics: Zinedine Zidane, Real Madrid, France, Football
Nasir Jabbar