Zinedine Zidane, one of football's most luminous figures, stepped into the role of France's head coach for the first time on Friday, facing Turkiye in a UEFA Nations League match in Kocaeli. He inherits a storied program from Didier Deschamps, who guided France across fourteen years and two World Cup finals, and arrives carrying both the reverence of a playing career that defined an era and the quiet burden of expectations that come with it. In choosing to lead rather than simply inspire, Zidane enters a new kind of arena — one where legacy must be earned again, differently.
Zidane begins France tenure against Turkiye in Nations League debut
Winning matches is what interests me the most
Mark
So Zidane takes over a team that just lost a World Cup final two years ago. How much of a rebuild is this actually?
Mimi
It's not a rebuild in the traditional sense. Deschamps left the squad largely intact—Mbappe is still captain, the core is still there. But there's a shift in philosophy, a new voice, new energy. Six debuts in the squad suggests Zidane is testing the depth.
Luke
Right, but we should be careful here. Six debuts sounds like a lot, but we don't know if all six will actually play. The predicted lineups show mostly familiar names. It could be that Zidane is just expanding the pool for future matches.
Mark
What about the pressure on him? He's won everything as a player and as a club coach. Does that make this easier or harder?
Mimi
Harder, probably. The expectations are astronomical. Every decision gets scrutinized through the lens of his legend. Rabiot's comment about the aura is telling—it's a double-edged thing.
Luke
Though Zidane himself said he doesn't care about the attention, only about winning. That's a useful stance, but it's also something every coach says. We'll see if he can actually maintain that when results go sideways.
Mark
Mbappe didn't show up to the press conference. Is that a red flag?
Mimi
No, Zidane explained it—protocol. One player, one coach. Mbappe had a minor injury but he's fit. It's routine.
Luke
Routine, yes, but it also meant Rabiot got the spotlight instead of the captain. That's a choice, even if it's dressed up as protocol. Worth noting.
Mark
What does France need to prove in these first four games?
Mimi
That Zidane's appointment wasn't just nostalgia. That the team can play with the same intensity and creativity under him as they did under Deschamps. These Nations League games are a testing ground.
Luke
And Turkiye is a reasonable opponent for that—not a pushover, but not a top-tier threat either. France should win, but if they don't, the narrative around Zidane shifts immediately.
O Pulso
- The weight of replacing a fourteen-year coach who won a World Cup is immense, and Zidane steps into that shadow knowing the comparison is unavoidable.
- Six uncapped players have been called into the squad, signaling that Zidane intends to reshape France's identity rather than simply maintain it.
- Captain Kylian Mbappe's minor injury added a layer of uncertainty before the match, though he was ultimately confirmed fit to play.
- Zidane is deliberately redirecting the spotlight — insisting his purpose is winning matches, not managing the mythology that surrounds him.
- France faces a compressed schedule of four Nations League fixtures in rapid succession, making this debut the first test of a much larger project.
Zinedine Zidane, one of football's most luminous figures, stepped into the role of France's head coach for the first time on Friday, facing Turkiye in a UEFA Nations League match in Kocaeli. He inherits a storied program from Didier Deschamps, who guided France across fourteen years and two World Cup finals, and arrives carrying both the reverence of a playing career that defined an era and the quiet burden of expectations that come with it. In choosing to lead rather than simply inspire, Zidane enters a new kind of arena — one where legacy must be earned again, differently.
Zinedine Zidane walked into his first press conference as France's head coach carrying the particular weight that only legends carry — the kind that makes every word feel like a statement and every silence feel like meaning. The match against Turkiye in Kocaeli on Friday night was, by the calendar, just a Nations League fixture. By every other measure, it was the opening of a new chapter.
He took over after the 2026 World Cup, succeeding Didier Deschamps, whose fourteen-year tenure included a World Cup victory in 2018 and a final appearance in 2022. The transition was from one iconic figure to another, though Zidane's path ran through playing brilliance and club success rather than a long international apprenticeship. His résumé as a player — two headers in the 1998 World Cup final, a Ballon d'Or, a European Championship, a Champions League volley — was almost impossibly complete. As a coach, he had delivered three consecutive Champions League titles with Real Madrid.
Yet Zidane seemed determined to deflect the attention his presence naturally commands. Midfielder Adrien Rabiot, one of three vice-captains, captured the dynamic neatly: the coach's aura draws the spotlight away from the players, giving them a kind of shelter. Zidane did not disagree, but he was clear about his priorities. "Winning matches is what interests me the most," he said.
The squad he assembled blended experience with six uncapped debutants, including striker Esteban Lepaul and defenders Leny Yoro and Jeremy Jacquet. Kylian Mbappe, France's all-time leading scorer, had recovered from a minor injury and was ready to play. Turkiye, meanwhile, would be without Hakan Calhanoglu and Kenan Yildiz, though Arda Guler was available.
For Zidane, the evening represented something he had been moving toward his entire career — the chance to shape a national team in his own image. The emotion was genuine. So was the focus. Before kickoff, he was already thinking about Belgium on Monday, and Italy after that.
Zinedine Zidane walked into his first match as France's head coach on Friday night carrying the weight of a legend. The game against Turkiye in Kocaeli Stadium, scheduled for 9:45pm local time, marked the beginning of a new chapter for a man who had already written one of football's most storied chapters as a player. When asked if the moment would feel as special as his international debut more than three decades earlier, Zidane smiled and said it might feel even more significant. "I feel an immense emotion being at the head of this France team," he told reporters on Thursday.
Zidane took over after the 2026 World Cup, replacing Didier Deschamps, who had steered France for fourteen years through two World Cup finals—winning one in 2018 and losing another in 2022. The transition represented a changing of the guard from one legendary figure to another, though Zidane's path to the job came through his playing brilliance and his success as a club coach rather than through a long apprenticeship in international football. His résumé as a player was almost impossibly complete: two headers in the 1998 World Cup final against Brazil, a Ballon d'Or that same year, a European Championship victory in 2000, a volley that helped Real Madrid win the Champions League in 2002. As a coach, he had delivered three consecutive Champions League titles with Madrid. The expectations, he acknowledged, were naturally high.
Yet Zidane seemed intent on deflecting attention from himself. When asked why captain Kylian Mbappe, France's all-time leading scorer, had not appeared at the pre-match press conference, Zidane explained that protocol required only a player and the coach to attend. Mbappe had recovered from a minor injury and would be ready to play. Instead, midfielder Adrien Rabiot, one of three vice-captains alongside Ousmane Dembele and Jules Kounde, spoke to the media. Rabiot offered an observation about his new manager that seemed to capture something essential: "His aura means he commands a lot of attention. In a way, it's a good thing that the focus is more on the coach than the players. It gives them a bit more peace and quiet."
Zidane did not dispute the characterization. He understood the spotlight that followed him, he said, but it was not what drove him. "You have to accept how things are. But I'm not here for that," he said. "Winning matches is what interests me the most." The Nations League fixture against Turkiye was the first of four games in rapid succession—Belgium away on Monday, then Italy and Belgium again at the Stade de France on October 2 and 5.
France came into the match with a squad that mixed experience with fresh talent. Zidane had called up six players making their international debuts: striker Esteban Lepaul from Rennes, defenders Leny Yoro from Manchester United and Jeremy Jacquet from Liverpool, midfielder Lucas Da Cunha from Como, and Andy Diouf and Guillaume Restes from Inter Milan and Toulouse respectively. "I'm happy with what I've seen so far," Zidane said. "The French team is open to everyone. We've got a good squad, some veterans, some newcomers."
Turkiye, meanwhile, would be without midfielder Hakan Calhanoglu and forward Kenan Yildiz due to injury, though Real Madrid prospect Arda Guler was available despite earlier concerns about a knock. The two nations had met six times before, with France holding a clear advantage: four wins to Turkiye's one, with one draw. Their most recent encounter came in 2019 in a Euro 2020 qualifier in Paris, when Olivier Giroud put France ahead in the 76th minute before Kaan Ayhan equalized five minutes later.
For Zidane, the moment represented something he had been building toward his entire career—the chance to shape a national team in his image, to prove that the magic he had conjured as a player and as a club coach could translate to the international stage. The emotion he described was genuine, but so was his focus. In the hours before kickoff, he was already thinking about the next match, and the one after that. The aura was real, but so was the work.
Citações Notáveis
I feel an immense emotion being at the head of this France team.— Zinedine Zidane
His aura means he commands a lot of attention. In a way, it's a good thing that the focus is more on the coach than the players.— Adrien Rabiot, France midfielder
Quer a matéria completa?
Leia o original em Al Jazeera ↗