Zinedine Zidane
One of international football’s most anticipated managerial appointments is finally set to become reality, as Zinedine Zidane prepares to usher in a new era for France following the end of Didier Deschamps’s remarkable 14 year reign.
The appointment has never truly been in doubt since November, when the French Football Federation reached a clear decision to hand the job to the former Real Madrid manager once Deschamps’ tenure came to a close.
Zidane has already put together his coaching staff, with the final documents expected to be formally signed later this month before his appointment is officially announced.
The move marks the end of one of the most successful managerial eras in French football history. Under Deschamps, France lifted the 2018 FIFA World Cup, won the UEFA Nations League, reached the final of the 2022 World Cup and remained one of the dominant forces in international football. However, Les Bleus’ hopes of another world title ended at the 2026 FIFA World Cup after a semifinal defeat to Spain, before they settled for fourth place.
Now, the responsibility of returning France to the pinnacle of world football falls on one of the country’s greatest ever icons.
Zidane arrives with a glittering reputation both as a player and a manager. He inspired France to their maiden FIFA World Cup triumph on home soil in 1998, followed it up with UEFA Euro 2000 glory, and later enjoyed a sensational managerial career at Real Madrid, winning three consecutive UEFA Champions League titles, two La Liga crowns, two FIFA Club World Cups and numerous other honours.
The 54 year old will begin his tenure with the UEFA Nations League before leading France into UEFA Euro 2028 and the 2030 FIFA World Cup, giving him a full international cycle to build a new generation capable of reclaiming football’s biggest prizes.
For Zidane, the appointment also represents the fulfilment of a role many believed was destined to be his. For years, he had been widely regarded as the natural successor to Deschamps, and with the long awaited transition now imminent, one of football’s most decorated figures will finally take charge of the national team he once led to global glory.
Expectations will be immense, but so too is the belief that the man who conquered Europe with Real Madrid and inspired France’s greatest triumph as a player can once again write history, this time from the touchline.
