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ZInadine Zidane is a serial winner and a proven coach at club level but it remains to be seen if he can finally coach the French national team.
The decision to quit the French national team as head coach after the 2026 World Cup by coach Didier Deschamps has led to a lot of speculation on who should succeed him. The news of Deschamps, who guided the Kylian Mbappe-captained France to the 2018 world cup glory, as well as the finals of the 2016 and 2022 Euro finals on January 7, was like a bombshell.
While there is no concrete news regarding his successor at the moment, speculation is rife that Zinedine Zedane is the frontrunner for the coveted hot seat. ESPN reports that the 1998 world cup winning midfielder is the heavy favourite to replace Deschamps.
However, Deschamps' achievements means that his successor must be as good as him if not better than him because he is only the third man to win the World Cup as a player and a manager after Mario Zagallo, Pele's old team-mate and manager for Brazil, and Germany's Franz Beckenbauer.
Pulse Sports takes a look at Zidane, club and international career as well as coaching credentials.
Who is Zinedine Zidane?
Zidane, popularly known as Zizou, is a French professional football manager and former player who played as an attacking midfielder. He most recently coached La Liga giants Real Madrid and is one of the most successful coaches in the world.
Widely regarded as one of the greatest players of all time, Zidane was a playmaker renowned for his elegance, vision, passing, and ball control. He received many individual accolades as a player, including being named FIFA World Player of the Year in 1998, 2000 and 2003, and winning the 1998 Ballon d'Or.
Playing career
Zidane started his career at Cannes, before establishing himself as one of the best players in the French Ligue 1 at Bordeaux. In 1996, he moved to Italian club Juventus, where he won several trophies, including two Serie A titles. He moved to Real Madrid for a world record fee at the time of €77.5 million in 2001, which remained a record for the next eight years.
In Spain, Zidane won several trophies, including a La Liga title and the UEFA Champions League. In the 2002 Champions League final, he scored a left-foot volleyed winner that is considered one of the greatest goals in football history. Zidane was named in both Juventus' and Real Madrid's greatest XI of all time.
International career
Capped 108 times by France, Zidane won the 1998 FIFA World Cup, scoring a brace in the final, and was named in the All-Star team. This triumph made him a national hero in France and he received the Legion of Honour in 1998.
He won UEFA Euro 2000 and was named Player of the Tournament. He also received the Golden Ball as Player of the Tournament at the 2006 World Cup, despite his infamous sending off in the final against Italy for headbutting Marco Materazzi in the chest. He retired as the fourth-most capped player in French history.
Coaching career
After retiring as a player, Zidane began his coaching career at Real Madrid Castilla. He remained in the position for two years, before managing the first team in 2016. In his initial three seasons, Zidane became the first coach to win the Champions League three times in a row.
He also won the UEFA Super Cup and FIFA Club World Cup twice each, as well as a La Liga title and a Supercopa de España. This success led to Zidane being named Best FIFA Men's Coach in 2017. He resigned in 2018, but returned to the club in 2019, and won another La Liga title and a Supercopa de España, before leaving again in 2021. Zidane has been out of work since 2021.
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