France will have a new face on the touchline for the first time in 14 years when they face Turkey on Friday. Zinedine Zidane replaced Didier Deschamps after France's fourth-place finish at the World Cup, but his appointment had been an open secret long before Les Bleus' third-place play-off loss to England. Talks between the former Real Madrid manager and the French football authorities kicked off as early as February 2025 - after Zidane's former team-mate Deschamps announced a few weeks earlier he would step down following the 2026 World Cup.
When he was unveiled in Paris, Zidane was keen to highlight the time he had spent waiting on the sidelines and preparing for the job. "I had several offers in the last four or five years, but I turned them all down," an emotional Zidane said. "The national team is the only thing I wanted." While his enthusiasm at taking the job was the overarching theme of his first news conference in the French capital, the midfield legend offered few clues to France fans as to how he would approach the role.
Even a question on Kylian Mbappe's captaincy was bypassed: "The most important thing for him now is to rest, we'll have the chance to speak in September." Mbappe, speaking to Spanish newspaper AS, has since said having the former Real Madrid star as his national team coach was "like a film". When asked about his preferred style of play, Zidane opted against going into tactical detail. "I can't explain to you in just a couple of words how we're going win.
I have to arrive, meet with the players, and explain my plans to them. After that, it'll be up to me to keep this team winning." However, Zidane confirmed his intention "to do things differently" and he has called up five uncapped players for this international break. He went on to signal that there would be a degree of "continuation" from the work of his predecessor, which he made sure to praise.
"I'm going to try do what I know how to, but it won't be a complete break either." So what will Zidane bring to the France dugout? Zidane, who retired in 2006, was one of the most exciting attacking midfielders of his generation. He won league titles and European trophies with Juventus and Real Madrid, while he helped France to victory at the 1998 World Cup and Euro 2000.
Zidane started his career at Cannes and then moved to Bordeuax. He almost joined Premier League side Blackburn Rovers in 1995, but the move broke down with Rovers owner Jack Walker reportedly asking manager Kenny Dalglish: "Why do you want to sign Zidane when we have Tim Sherwood?" Instead Zidane moved to Juventus, winning six trophies, before he was signed by Real Madrid for a then record £45.8m. For France he was the hero of the home 1998 World Cup, scoring twice in the final, a 3-0 win over Brazil and was named the best player at Euro 2000.
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