Хөлбөмбөгийн домогт тоглогч Зинедин Зидан дөрвөн жилийн гэрээ байгуулснаар Францын эрэгтэйчүүдийн шигшээ багийн дасгалжуулагчийн албан тушаалд албан ёсоор томилогдлоо.
2021 оны тавдугаар сард Реал Мадрид-аас гарснаасаа хойш дасгалжуулагчийн ажилд эргэн ороогүй байсан Зидан Францын шигшээ багийг удирдах нь түүний цорын ганц хүсэл байсныг Францын Хөлбөмбөгийн Холбооны ерөнхийлөгч Филипп Диалло онцолжээ. Парис хотноо болсон хэвлэлийн бага хурлын үеэр тэрээр энэхүү томилгоог мөрөөдөл биеллээ хэмээн тодорхойлж, багийнхаа төлөө ажиллахдаа баяртай байгаагаа илэрхийлсэн юм.
Дидье Дешам 2012 оноос хойш үргэлжилсэн 14 жилийн ажлаа хүлээлгэн өгч байгаа бөгөөд түүний удирдлага дор Францын шигшээ баг сүүлийн үед Испанид хожигдож, Англитай хийсэн тоглолтод 6:4-өөр ялагдсан зэрэг үр дүнгүүдтэйгээр өөрчлөлтийн үе рүү шилжиж байна. Зидан шигшээ багийн бүрэлдэхүүнд томоохон өөрчлөлт хийхээс илүүтэйгээр авьяаслаг тоглогчдод илүү эрх чөлөөтэй тоглох боломж олгох тактикийг баримтлах төлөвтэй байна.
Зидан Реал Мадрид-д ажиллаж байхдаа Аваргуудын лигт гурван жил дараалан түрүүлсэн туршлагатай бөгөөд шигшээ багийн гол тоглогч Килиан Мбаппе болон бусад бүрэлдэхүүнтэй хэрхэн ажиллах нь анхаарал татаж байна. Тэрээр есдүгээр сарын 25-нд Туркийн эсрэг болох Үндэстнүүдийн лигийн тоглолтоос эхлэн ажлаа хүлээн авах бөгөөд өнгөрсөн үеийн залгамж халааг үргэлжлүүлнэ гэдгээ мэдэгдлээ.
Дэлгэрэнгүй эх сурвалжийг харах
Эх сурвалжийг нээх ↓
Zinedine Zidane had been waiting for this moment a very long time.
Absent from management since he left Real Madrid in May 2021, Zidane has rarely spoken to journalists or made media appearances during his self-imposed hiatus from football, and turned down multiple offers from clubs interested in making him their manager or head coach.
There was a good reason for Zidane’s reticence.
According to France Football Federation (FFF) president Philippe Diallo, Zidane had declared his sole interest were he return to the game lay in managing the French men’s national team he helped win the 1998 World Cup and 2000 European Championship as a player.
Didier Deschamps decided in January last year that he would leave the role he’d held since 2012 after this summer’s World Cup, and Diallo says he met in person with Zidane the following month to discuss his succession.
That all culminated in a press conference at the FFF headquarters in Paris on Tuesday to announce Zidane’s appointment on a four-year contract, although this was imbued with far more drama than a standard managerial unveiling.
Security personnel surrounded the building as fans sporting replicas of Zidane’s blue No 10 France shirt stood waiting outside. As he and Diallo opened the doors to a press-conference room packed with journalists, photographers surged towards one of French sport’s great heroes — and a worldwide football icon.
“Today represents continuity, a dream,” said Zidane, the son of North African immigrants and father to current Algeria international goalkeeper Luca Zidane. “It’s the only thing I’ve ever wanted to do (since Madrid)… Now it’s finally happening. Naturally, I’m a bit moved, but you can’t tell. I’m just really excited. It’s a big moment for me.”
Fans welcome new France coach and national hero Zinedine Zidane in Paris (Les Baroudeurs du Sport)
The words carried emotion but the delivery barely registered. Zidane spoke softly, revealing little beyond a faint smile.
“I don’t have any other words,” he said, sitting behind a desk with Diallo, smartly but modestly dressed in a dark blue suit and tie.
The deep-rooted connection with the national team is obvious.
Zidane — or ‘Zizou’, as he was known in his playing career — went from scaling the French youth age groups to starring as they won their first-ever World Cup in 1998, scoring twice in a 3-0 victory over Brazil at the Stade de France in Paris. “It was the best thing that ever happened to me – winning with my friends,” he reflected.
The 54-year-old already arrives with the fans’ overwhelming support.
“Zidane is God,” said Francois Santoni, a member of fans’ group Les Baroudeurs du Sport. “I started loving football by watching him. The best French player of all time will coach the best squad we have had for a long time. The way he ended his career was so sad. He couldn’t end like that with Les Bleus. He has the love, like Deschamps, for this jersey.”
That bitter end came in extra time at the 2006 World Cup final, when Zidane, who had already said the game would be his last as a player at age 34, was provoked into headbutting opponent Marco Materazzi and got sent off. The match ended 1-1 (guess who scored for France), Italy won a penalty shootout 5-3 and Zidane’s moment of uncontrolled rage entered sporting infamy.
The irony is that he comes across as very serene. Transmitting calmness through a team, Zidane previously noted, is fundamental to his role. Even now, he remains an enigmatic presence: a strong poker face, measured and comfortable with silence.
“Is July 28, 2026 the most beautiful day of your managerial career?” asked a French journalist.
“Yes,” came the answer.
Next question.
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Deschamps, although criticised for playing “boring” football during the 2024 European Championship, leaves behind a very solid foundation after 14 years at the helm.
France showed a more fluid style than at that tournament two years ago during the recent World Cup but did not show up in a 2-0 semi-final loss against eventual champions Spain and then lost the third-place play-off to England by a freakish 6-4 scoreline.
The expectation is Zidane’s changes will be subtle rather than sweeping, allowing a talent-filled squad to play with more freedom.
Much like his predecessor, the key to a well-oiled France machine is going to be getting a group of gifted individuals working as a collective. Deschamps did that well, and this was also crucial to Zidane’s success at Madrid, where he won three consecutive Champions League finals from 2016-18 with a team boasting marquee names including Cristiano Ronaldo, Sergio Ramos, Karim Benzema and Luka Modric.
Zidane and his France predecessor Didier Deschamps are very different characters (Nicolas Tucat/AFP via Getty Images)
Such is Zidane’s stature that even his commercial arrangements became a talking point on Monday.
He has long been under contract with Adidas but the FFF’s kit manufacturer is its big rival Nike. Zidane was clear: while Adidas will not interfere with the national team, he was “not going to leave the sponsor I’ve had for 30 years”.
Diallo was adamant there would not be an issue: when the France manager is on international duty, he will wear Nike gear — though his choice of footwear is up to him — and when he is not, he can do as he pleases.
Zidane told the president, “I know how to win”, during that first meeting 17 months ago but gave little away about his philosophy.
“I used to play as a No 10, what drives me is scoring goals,” he said. “I lived in Spain for 25 years – you know what that means. On the pitch, I was a natural leader. Today, I’m becoming a leader through my experience.”
He is yet to speak to France’s captain Kylian Mbappe, wanting the striker to prioritise rest after his Golden Boot-winning exploits at the World Cup, but his core coaching staff, the same group he had at Madrid plus a couple of additions, is in place.
Kylian Mbappe remains France’s most important player (Chandan Khanna/AFP via Getty Images)
Neither the FFF nor Zidane seem to be concerned he has not managed in over five years.
“I haven’t been twiddling my thumbs,” said Zidane, adding he has watched more games in that time than when he did when he was Madrid coach.
But, starting with a UEFA Nations League game away to Turkey on September 25, he will do things differently as eyes now turn to the 2028 European Championship hosted by England, Scotland, Wales and the Republic of Ireland. He added: “Didier is Didier. Laurent Blanc (Deschamps’ predecessor) is Laurent Blanc. Zizou is Zizou. I’m going to try to do what I know how to do. There’s no rupture with the past, I believe it’s a continuation.”
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Deschamps, a defensive midfielder nicknamed (rather unkindly) a ‘water carrier’ as a player, did the dirty work and dug deep, getting the ball back for his more gifted colleagues to do their thing. Zidane, by contrast, was celebrated for his flair, elegance and attacking artistry on the pitch, but off it, he goes about his business quietly.
He has already written some of the defining chapters in France’s football history.
Now, after waiting five years for the chance, Zidane gets to turn to the next page.
