Paris: Zinedine Zidane's return to the France national team as head coach brings one of football's most decorated careers full circle. Nearly 20 years after ending his playing career in a World Cup final, Zidane has replaced Didier Deschamps as France coach. He is regarded as one of football's greatest players and has also become one of its most successful coaches.
According to Anadolu Agency, for France, it is a handover between two men who shared the pitch during the country's greatest footballing generation, lifted the 1998 World Cup together in Paris, and later came to represent two different models of leadership. Deschamps, captain of the 1998 world champions and coach of the 2018 winners, built France into one of international football's most consistent tournament teams. Zidane arrives with a different aura: the quiet authority of a former Ballon d'Or winner, a Real Madrid icon, and the only coach to win three consecutive UEFA Champions League titles in the modern era.
His appointment marks the next chapter in a career defined by decisive moments on football's biggest stages. Born in Marseille in 1972 to Algerian parents, Zidane emerged from the southern French football scene with Cannes before establishing himself at Bordeaux in the early 1990s. Elegant, balanced, and unusually composed under pressure, he quickly became known for his first touch, close control, and ability to dictate the tempo of matches from midfield. His performances earned him a move to Juventus in 1996, where he became one of the defining players of Europe's strongest club side of the period.
His breakthrough on the international stage came at the 1998 World Cup in France. After a tournament that had not always been smooth for him personally, Zidane delivered when it mattered most, scoring twice with headers in the final against Brazil as France won the World Cup for the first time. Two years later, he was central again as France won Euro 2000, confirming that the 1998 generation was more than a one-tournament team.
In 2001, Real Madrid signed him for a then-world record fee, making him the centerpiece of the club's 'Galacticos' era. His defining Real Madrid moment came in the 2002 Champions League final against Bayer Leverkusen, when he scored one of the competition's most famous goals, a left-footed volley that secured the trophy for the Spanish club. Zidane retired after the 2006 World Cup, a tournament that brought both brilliance and controversy.
His transition into coaching came gradually. After working behind the scenes at Real Madrid, Zidane coached the club's reserve team before being promoted to first-team manager in January 2016. Within months, Zidane led Real Madrid to the 2016 Champions League title. He followed that with another European crown in 2017 and then a third in 2018, making Real Madrid the first team in the Champions League era to win three consecutive titles.
His next step had long been the subject of speculation. Zidane was repeatedly linked with top club jobs, but France always appeared to be the role most closely tied to his personal story. Now, he inherits a national team with one of the deepest talent pools in world football and expectations shaped by more than a decade of success under Deschamps. The challenge for Zidane will not be rebuilding from collapse, but refreshing a team used to contending for every major title.