Zinedine Zidane reaches verbal agreement on return to football
Former Real Madrid head coach Zinedine Zidane has reportedly verbally agreed to return to management after a nearly five-year hiatus.
Zidane, who also represented the club as a player, left his role as Real Madrid head coach in May 2021, having previously guided the club to 11 major trophies – including three consecutive Champions League titles – across two spells as boss.
Despite being linked with several clubs since then, such as Manchester United, the 53-year-old has remained without a coaching job.
But Zidane’s lengthy spell out of the game could soon come to an end.
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As reported by Italian journalist Fabrizio Romano, the Frenchman has reached a verbal agreement to return to management following this summer’s World Cup.
“On Zinedine, there are always many rumours about Real Madrid… what is the situation with Zidane?” Romano said when speaking on his YouTube channel on Friday.
“What I’m told is that the situation remains very clear. Despite the links we had in December [about Zidane and Real Madrid], my understanding remains that there is a verbal agreement between Zidane and the French federation for Zinedine Zidane to become the next manager of the French national team after the World Cup.
“So full focus will be on the World Cup under Didier Deschamps. Massive respect for the French federation, the French players and Didier Deschamps.
“After the World Cup, Zinedine Zidane is expected to return. Again, this is verbal… anything can happen.”
Of course, Zidane was part of the 1998 World Cup-winning side that secured the country’s first-ever triumph, with the midfielder scoring twice in a 3–0 win against Brazil in Paris.
France’s star man Kylian Mbappé has already made clear what he thinks of ‘Zizou’ leading the France national team and described Zidane as “the only one in the history of French football who has almost all of the rights”.
Zidane himself has also spoken out on the matter during an interview with La Gazzetta dello Sport in 2025.
“I’d like to be the head coach of the France team one day,” Zidane admitted.
“I will surely return to coaching. Me at Juventus? I don’t know why it didn’t happen. I always keep that team in my heart because it gave me a lot,” he added.
Current head coach Deschamps’ France contract is set to expire following the 2026 World Cup.
Topics: Zinedine Zidane, Football, Didier Deschamps, Real Madrid, Kylian Mbappe
Luke Davies