‘He’s back’: Zinedine Zidane named France head coach in long-awaited homecoming

For Tuesday’s front page, L’Équipe simply went with “Il revient” – “He’s back” – echoing their 2005 headline when Zinédine Zidane came out of international retirement. At the time, the midfielder’s upcoming return was seen as a major boost to Les Bleus’ ailing World Cup qualifying campaign. There was a similar sense of anticipation now as the roads around the French Football Federation (FFF) headquarters in Paris were closed off for Zidane’s unveiling as head coach. A crowd of France fans had gathered outside by the overground metro tracks with flags, flares, and drums, as over a hundred journalists and TV cameras were ushered into the building.

The fact Zidane would be next in line to lead France after Didier Deschamps had been an open secret for several years, and by the end of the World Cup his arrival was all but confirmed. The new head coach would enter the press conference room on Tuesday morning only minutes after his appointment was confirmed by the FFF’s executive committee, but the feeling in France was that the occasion was a couple of decades in the making.

“It’s a new cycle,” FFF president, Philippe Diallo, proclaimed following a preamble in which he paid tribute to Deschamps’ 14-year tenure. Talks with the 1998 World Cup hero, Diallo said, began in February 2025, the month after Deschamps announced he would step down this summer. “Zinédine Zidane is one of the legends of French football, and he had made it known that it was one of his dreams to manage the French national team,” Diallo then explained. “We wanted someone with the aura, the ability, and the hearts of our fans and the French people to manage what is one of the best national teams in the world.”

For Zidane, this announcement was the culmination of nearly half a decade of waiting in the wings. “I had several offers from clubs in the last four to five years, but I turned them all down for France,” the former midfielder and Real Madrid insisted. “The national team is the only thing I wanted. I’ve been with the French teams since I was a kid, all the way up to the senior team. I’m a bit emotional. You might not be able to tell, but I am incredibly excited.” Zidane went as far as declaring that it was the greatest day of his managerial career. “It’s an immense joy,” he said. “I am ready for the challenge.”

The five years that have passed since the end of Zidane’s second spell in Madrid will have been spent preparing to take over Les Bleus. “I’ve been watching France as a supporter, but also as a future manager,” he explained. “I don’t think there are any traps. It’s new to me, but I’m not scared. This is what I wanted.”

France supporters gather in Paris to celebrate the confirmation of one of the greatest players in Les Blues’ history as their new head coach. Photograph: Teresa Suárez/EPA

The 54-year-old’s first public appearance as head coach was light on the details of his plans for the national team. He notably side-stepped a question about whether Kylian Mbappé would retain the armband, insisting that he would have to meet the team and its “extraordinary players” first of all. “We need to keep this team winning,” he said, adding that he was impressed with what he had seen during the World Cup.

“I was a No 10 in my playing days,” the new head coach responded when asked about the style of play he would look to implement. Whether his answer implies a continuation of Deschamps’ attacking shift remains to be seen, but his answers did hint at some kind of change of direction. “Laurent [Blanc] was Laurent [Blanc], Didier was Didier, and Zizou is Zizou,” he playfully added.

One of Zidane’s long-term objectives will be to compete with the reigning World champions, who have now beaten France in three consecutive tournaments semi-finals. “I spent 25 years in Spain, and you know what that means,” he acknowledged, before pointing out that the task ahead went beyond beating La Roja. “I know Spanish football very well, but they won’t be the only opponents. You have to beat all of the teams.”

Zidane’s four-year contract will begin next month, with his extended staff to be unveiled a few weeks before the first international break of the new season. “We’ll see each other again in September to talk about it,” he went on. “It’s a good thing that we’ll have three weeks with the players.” The focus for now, Zidane insisted, is on his first match in charge, which will be at the end of September in Turkey.

His homecoming, meanwhile, will be against Italy, just over 20 years after his dramatic exit from the international stage. If the raucous reception as he stepped out of the FFF headquarters is anything to go by, it will be one of the more memorable evenings in the Stade de France’s history.