RESOLVING THE LEDGER
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The French Football Federation has announced Zinedine Zidane as the new head coach of the national team on a four-year contract through the 2030 World Cup. He succeeds Didier Deschamps, who led France from 2012 to 2026, guiding Les Bleus to the 2018 World Cup title and a runners-up finish at the 2022 World Cup, where they lost to Argentina in the final. Zidane is a legendary figure of world soccer and in France, where he played from 1994 to 2006, playing 108 games and scoring 31 goals and also winning the 1998 World Cup in France, where he scored two goals in the final, a 3-0 win over Brazil . His professional soccer career came to an end at the 2006 World Cup, where his infamous headbutt on Marco Materazzi during the final against Italy earned him a red card and marked the final act of his playing career.
His coaching career began in 2014 as an assistant to Carlo Ancelotti at Real Madrid , helping the club win the UEFA Champions League by defeating Atletico Madrid in the final in Lisbon. He later took charge of Real Madrid's Castilla side before being promoted to first-team manager in 2016. During his first spell, he made history by becoming the first manager to win three consecutive UEFA Champions League titles, leading the club to triumphs in 2016, 2017, and 2018. Zidane stepped down in 2018, returned to manage Real Madrid in 2019, and remained in charge until his final departure from the club in 2021.
Since then, he has refused to coach multiple clubs around Europe because this is the job he wanted.
"I always looked at this team as a future coach. I did not take charge of any club for this reason. The only thing I wanted to do after Real Madrid is to coach the France national team," he said. "I could have taken on a project for three years given that Deschamps was there. He made that decision in January 2025, and the very next day I knew that I wanted to be the next coach. We met with the president and the agreement was concluded."
"There is no confusion. It is something different from a club. But this does not scare me. This is what I wanted to do. I will strike a balance between my personal life and the France national team, and that suits me perfectly. Today is a continuation of my journey, and a dream come true. I received offers to take charge of clubs over four or five years, but I turned them all down for the France national team. It is the only thing I wanted to do. I knew this from a young age; I started in the youth ranks, and I went through all the stages until I reached the senior team. I will do my utmost so that this team continues to achieve victories; that is my only motivation.
"I praise Deschamps' efforts, and this is an opportunity to say well done to him. Something new will begin, but the goal is always the same: to win. I will do my utmost for this team. I am eagerly looking forward to joining it. It is immense joy. I am happy with what is happening to me. I cannot find any other words. I am reining in my emotions because I feel so many things inside me. I am ready for the challenge. Winning in 1998 is the best thing that happened to me in my life, winning with my friends. I spent those four or five years waiting for this day. I am deeply moved; it may not show on me, but I am extremely happy."
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