Paris, France – Zinedine Zidane expressed his great happiness at taking over the technical leadership of the French national team, stressing that coaching “Les Bleus” was the only goal he had been waiting for over the past years, after rejecting several offers to coach clubs in order to achieve this dream.
Zidane’s remarks came during a press conference held by the French Football Federation on Tuesday to officially present him as the successor to Didier Deschamps.
Zidane: Coaching France was my dream
Zidane began his speech by sending a message of support to the firefighters and the families affected by the fires, before thanking the French Federation for the trust they had placed in him.
He said: “Today my dream has come true. It is an extension of my career with the French national team. I received offers to coach clubs during the past four or five years, but I rejected them all because my only goal was to coach the national team”.
He added: “My journey began with the youth national teams and progressed to the first team, and I will do everything I can to maintain the culture of victories”.
Praise for Deschamps
Zidane made sure to thank his predecessor Didier Deschamps, stressing that what he had done with the national team deserved praise.
He said: “I have one word for him… Well done. A new phase begins, but the goal will always be to win, and I am very excited to start working”.
First comment regarding Mbappe
The French coach spoke about the national team captain, Kylian Mbappe, confirming that he has not yet contacted him.
He explained: “I haven’t spoken to Mbappe yet. I think rest is his priority right now, and we will meet with all the players during the September camp to discuss everything”.
Why did he step away from coaching?
Zidane revealed that his absence from coaching work since leaving Real Madrid was not a coincidence, but rather he was waiting for the opportunity to lead the French national team.
He said: “I did not accept coaching any club for this reason. I always looked to the French national team as my next destination, and this project was agreed upon since January 2025”.
Facing Spain and preparing for the challenge
Regarding the competition with Spain, Zidane stressed that his focus is on the start of the journey and not on the competitors.
He said: “Spain is a strong team, but my priority now is the Türkiye game. We have four games in September, which gives us a good opportunity to work with the players”.
He also noted that he used his time away from coaching to follow matches constantly, adding: “I watched many matches, perhaps more than I watched when I was the coach of Real Madrid”.
The technical staff and the fight against racism
Zidane confirmed that he will retain most of the members of his coaching staff who worked with him at Real Madrid, with the addition of a limited number of members.
He concluded his remarks by emphasizing the importance of combating racism, saying: “We live in a diverse country, and we must all continue to fight racism in all its forms”.
