It is an open secret. Barring an immensely dramatic twist, Zinรฉdine Zidane will be the next manager of the French men’s national football team. The former charismatic No. 10 for Les Bleus is the overwhelming favorite to succeed Didier Deschamps, who will leave the position after the 2026 World Cup, to be held in the United States, Canada and Mexico from June 11 to July 19.
“Zizou” has not yet been officially appointed, but the shadow of the 1998 Ballon d’Or winner looms over Les Bleus, even Deschamps’ mandate, which began in the summer of 2012, is still ongoing. Given his impressive coaching record, historic ties to the national side and, most of all, his status as a French football icon, his appointment seems all but certain.
Philippe Diallo, president of the French Football Federation (FFF), has partly let the secret slip, even though he is delaying the official announcement until after the World Cup to avoid disrupting Kylian Mbappรฉ and his teammates’ preparations. “I know the name” of the next coach, he said Sunday in an interview with Le Figaro daily, providing details that leave little doubt.
Revealing that he had received “fewer than five applications, all French,” for the job, the FFF chief sketched out the profile of the chosen candidate. “We need a profile that ticks a lot of boxes and… can also win the support of the French people, because this French national football team is the team of the French people,” Diallo said. “A connection must be forged between the coach and the French.” And who, other than Zidane, adored across France, could inspire such support?
You have 75.88% of this article left to read. The rest is for subscribers only.