Finally the longest, worst-kept secret in international soccer is out of the bag: Zinedine Zidane is the new coach of the France men's national team.
The 54-year-old former Ballon d'Or winner is a bona fide legend as a player for his country -- winning the 1998 FIFA World Cup and 2000 UEFA European Championship -- as well as both on the pitch and in the dugout for Real Madrid where he won multiple UEFA Champions League and LaLiga titles.
Now, in replacing Didier Deschamps after his former teammate stood down following a decade in charge of Les Bleus, Zidane has the opportunity to complete the set by leading his national team to glory as a coach. After France's disappointing fourth-place finish at the 2026 World Cup, preparations begin now for September's UEFA Nations League games, before their Euro 2028 qualification campaign starts next year.
- Don't be fooled by Klopp, Zidane's new jobs: Club game is still king
- France move from Deschamps to Zidane wondering what could've been
- Grades for all 47 teams that were eliminated from the World Cup
But despite his elite credentials, Zidane has not had a coaching job since his second spell in charge of Real Madrid ended five years ago, instead choosing to stay on the fringes of the elite game. And, even in the full glare of the media spotlight during his highly successful career to date, he remains an enigmatic figure who gives little away.
What will Zidane bring to the France job? What should he look to change? And just where has he been all this time? ESPN's Alex Kirkland and Julien Laurens are here to fill you in.
It's been a while. What did Zidane achieve at Real Madrid?
What did he achieve?! How about three Champions League titles in a row -- unprecedented in the modern format -- between 2016 and 2018? Plus two LaLiga titles, ending a five-year drought in 2017 and adding another in 2020? In both of his spells in charge at the Bernabéu, Zidane took over in challenging circumstances and had an immediate, dramatically positive impact.
He first took the Madrid job in January 2016, stepping up from the reserves to remedy a disastrous start to the season under predecessor Rafa BenÃtez. A 12-game winning streak saw Madrid finish just a point behind champions Barcelona in 2015-16, but in Europe they went all the way, beating Atlético Madrid on penalties in the Champions League final in Milan.
The next season was even better. If Madrid hadn't been the best team in Europe a year earlier, they absolutely were in 2016-17, beating Bayern Munich and Atlético (again) on the way to thrashing Juventus 4-1 in the final in Cardiff. They won LaLiga too, making it just the third time in history that Madrid had completed that particular double.
No team since Milan in 1990 had won back-to-back European Cups; Zidane went one better in 2017-18, making it three in a row when Madrid beat Liverpool 3-1 in Kyiv. Days later, he quit, but just nine months on -- after Julen Lopetegui and Santiago Solari hadn't been able to match his success on the bench -- he was back. Zidane's second spell in charge wasn't as glorious, but Madrid still won LaLiga in 2019-20, again in difficult circumstances with the league going on a three-month midseason break due to the COVID-19 pandemic. The following season wasn't bad -- Madrid finished second to Atlético in LaLiga and were eliminated by Chelsea in the Champions League semifinals -- but it did end without any trophies.
Still, it was a shock when Zidane opted to walk away again in May 2021, with a year left on his contract. In an open letter to fans, he denied that he was "tired of coaching" and said he was instead leaving because of a lack of internal support at the club, slamming leaks to the media that his job had been under threat. -- Kirkland
How will his methods transfer to the France national team?
That's the question everyone is pondering in France right now. Since the FIFA World Cup semifinal defeat to Spain a few weeks ago, everyone has been looking forward to the arrival of Zidane and asking what Les Bleus will look like under Zizou?
The clear man-management approach he had in his spells at Real Madrid will be perfect for the international game. He will inspire his players, his way of getting the best out of the squad will be to have a great relationship with them. He will give them confidence and impetus. The best players in the side, such as Kylian Mbappé or Michael Olise, grew up idolizing him. Everyone in the dressing room is super excited and can't wait to start working with the 1998 World Cup winner.
The rhythm of international soccer will work for a pragmatic coach like Zidane. Tactically, we saw interesting things when he was at Real Madrid, such as deploying Isco as a No. 10 or the way he utilized Karim Benzema in a multifaceted attacking role first in support of Cristiano Ronaldo, and then in place of him. Forget precise patterns of play -- instead think about putting all these superstars in the best space to perform at their best.
Zidane told me once while he was at the Bernabéu: "[Luka] Modric doesn't need me to tell him how to pass the ball. He knows how to do it already. However, I'm here to make sure that he is in the right environment and positions to be the best version of himself."
That's exactly what international soccer is all about. -- Laurens
What are the most important things he needs to change?
Deschamps and Zidane respect each other, but they are not friends. They were not friends when they were playing together, with France or with Juventus, and it is the case even less now. Deschamps never liked that Zidane was clearly waiting for him to leave the job -- he announced in January of last year that he would be stepping down after the World Cup, with sources telling ESPN in March that a verbal agreement was reached for Zidane to succeed him -- applying indirect extra pressure.
But Zidane is taking over a team in great shape and there won't be many things he will have to (or want to) change. With William Saliba, Ousmane Dembélé, Olise and Mbappé, Les Bleus have arguably four of the 10 best players in the world. Apart from the fullback positions, the rest of the squad is stacked with talent, youth and experience.
Veterans such as N'Golo Kanté or Lucas Hernández will likely retire from international soccer, so Zidane will bring in new players and has been looking at young French talents, but the core of the squad will stay the same.
Tactically, he loved a three-man midfield at Madrid, so he could change from the 4-2-3-1 Deschamps used at the World Cup to his favored 4-3-3, but that would mean putting Olise out wide again and not using him as a No. 10.
The biggest change, however, will be structurally. Sources have told ESPN that Zidane will have longtime friend and assistant David Bettoni as his No. 2 while Hamidou Msaidie and Gregory Dupont -- who were also part of his staff at Madrid -- will be his second assistant and fitness coach respectively.
Fabien Barthez is expected to come in as goalkeeping coach, and another of Zidane's former France teammates, France U19 coach Bernard Diomède, will also be part of the staff. All the medical staff around the department's new head, Dr. Hervé Collado, as well as physiotherapists, masseurs and chiropractors will be new, too, and they will also have a dedicated performance team.
Zidane will have a bigger staff than his predecessor. It will be a more elite setup, and the players will feel the difference. -- Laurens
What has he been doing this whole time?
Judging by his Instagram, which is full of holiday snaps, family photos and one very cute dog, it looks like he has been having a great time. Zidane has never been someone who needs to coach, either professionally, financially or personally.
He has a full, happy life with his wife and four sons, all of whom followed him into professional soccer with varying degrees of success: Enzo, now 31, retired in 2024; Luca, 28, plays for Granada and featured for Algeria at the World Cup; Theo, 24, is at Córdoba, while youngest Elyaz, 20, just left Real Betis for Red Star FC. Zidane has understandably followed and guided their careers closely, and has often been seen watching them in the stands.
He has kept a much lower profile when it comes to Real Madrid, not wanting his presence to be a distraction or put additional pressure on his successors. He has been spotted a handful of times watching games at the Bernabéu, including last season when Madrid played Manchester City in the Champions League, dodging questions from reporters as he left the stadium.
Another big off-field passion, which has become a business interest, is padel. Already a huge industry in Spain and Argentina, the racket sport is growing fast worldwide.
Zidane's company, Z5, opened its first padel club in 2021, and now has three locations: in Aix-en-Provence and Istres in France, and outside Turin, Italy. There are reports that he has also been looking at expanding further with a venue in Madrid.
Given his track record, he has occasionally been linked with high-profile returns to management, but they've often felt unrealistic. That's especially true when it comes to jobs in the Premier League, where Zidane's lack of fluency and confidence speaking English would be a limiting factor.
It has only ever felt likely that he would get back in the dugout for a position he's truly passionate about: a third stint at Madrid, or this, the France job. -- Kirkland
