Zinedine Zidane risks ruining his impressive managerial record if he, as is to be expected, succeeds Didier Deschamps as France head coach.
Zidane, who won the 1998 Ballon d’Or comfortably ahead of Croatia’s Davor Suker for his role in France’s historic World Cup triumph, has been out of work since leaving his second spell as Real Madrid head coach in 2021 after a trophyless campaign.
The Frenchman was approached to become the US Men’s National Team boss after the 2022 World Cup, but declined the chance.
However, Zidane is set for a return to management with the 53-year-old widely expected to succeed Deschamps for Les Bleus. Deschamps will step down from his role as France boss upon the culmination of the 2026 World Cup, which will be held in the USA, Mexico and Canada.
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The 56-year-old will have been France head coach for 14 years by the time football’s showpiece draws to a close next year.
And Deschamps, who captained France's 1998 World Cup winning squad, became just the third player to lift the iconic trophy as both a player and manager when he oversaw success in Russia in 2018.
RMC reporter Gilbert Brisbois has hinted that an official announcement that’ll see Zidane confirmed as new France boss once Deschamps steps down is imminent.
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“Didier Deschamps will leave in 2026. In a year, we'll have Zidane! What a joy! It's done, it's decided,” Brisbois told Defensa Central.
Zidane himself as previously stated it would be a ‘great pleasure’ to take over as France head coach.
“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.”
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Zidane willing to risk 100% record
That being said, in taking over as France boss, Zidane would put his imperious finals record in the line.
The former Juventus and Real Madrid superstar has won all nine of the finals he has overseen, including three successive Champions League triumphs.
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In addition, Zidane won two Spanish Super Cups, two UEFA Super Cups and two FIFA World Club Cups, including La Liga twice, across his two reigns as Los Blancos boss.
He’ll certainly have a talented pool of players to work with should he take over the reins once Deschamps steps down, with France able to call upon the likes of Kylian Mbappe, Michael Olise and Ballon d'Or 2025 favourite Ousmane Dembele.
The current crop, though, failed to make their last two major international tournament finals, falling to Spain in the semi-finals at Euro 2024 and again to La Roja at the same stage of the UEFA Nations League earlier this year.
Deschamps will look to bow out on a high at next summer’s World Cup. Qualification the competition kicks off in September for France, who’ll face Azerbaijan, Ukraine and Iceland to secure this spot stateside.
Topics: Didier Deschamps, Football, Kylian Mbappe, Zinedine Zidane
Ben McAleer