Zinedine Zidane revealed he turned down many other offers in order to take charge of the France team, after being announced as their new head coach on Tuesday.
As was largely expected, Zidane was unveiled as Didier Deschamps’ successor with Les Bleus, signing a four-year deal that runs through to the end of the 2030 World Cup.
The Frenchman has been out of work since leaving Real Madrid for the second time in 2021, having enjoyed two successful spells at the club, including winning three straight Champions League crowns between 2016 and 2018.
Deschamps confirmed he would not be renewing his contract back in January 2025, with Zidane immediately emerging as the favourite to replace him.
French Football Federation (FFF) president Philippe Diallo said he first met with Zidane that February, with the 54-year-old telling him: “President, I know how to win.”
And Zidane is ready for the new challenge ahead of him.
“It’s the continuity of a dream. In the last four or five years, I had propositions to join a club, and I refused them all for the France national team,” Zidane said after being unveiled.
“This job is the only job I wanted to do after my career with Real Madrid. It’s the only thing I wanted to do.
“I started small; I completed all the steps right up until this point. So, I am honoured to take charge of this team. I will give everything, so this team can continue to win.”
𝙄𝙩 𝙬𝙖𝙨 𝙖𝙡𝙬𝙖𝙮𝙨 𝙢𝙚𝙖𝙣𝙩 𝙩𝙤 𝙗𝙚 pic.twitter.com/5Ni5zs8C9g
— French Team (@FrenchTeam) July 28, 2026
Under Deschamps, France won the 2018 World Cup and the Nations League in 2021.
They also reached the World Cup final in 2022 – losing on penalties to Argentina – as well as the Euro 2016 showpiece on home soil, going down to Portugal.
Zidane was a 1998 World Cup and Euro 2000 winner with France as a player, netting a brace in the final to help them clinch the former trophy, and he is now tasked with bringing more silverware.
“I can’t explain how we’re going to win in a few words,” he added.
“I have an extraordinary team that will be in place. I need to come down to earth, see the players, explain my gameplan to them, what we’re going to do together.
“Then it will be up to me as coach to continue to make this team win.
“You’ll see the style soon; we’ll have a press conference in September. I’m driven by the game.
“I was a number 10; what drives me is scoring goals. I lived in Spain for 25 years; you know what that means.
“On the pitch, I was a leader. [Now] I’m becoming a leader through my experience.”
Zidane’s contract officially begins on August 1, with his first match in charge coming against Turkiye in the Nations League on September 25.
He will also face a double header against Belgium either side of his first home game, against Italy, in the extended September and October international break.
“The four upcoming dates are marked,” he added. “My objective is my first match, and that’s against Turkiye.
“Italy is special because I’ve played there, I know people there, I speak Italian. I’ve been preparing for these four matches for a while now.”
