\n
PARIS (AP) – Immediately after his appointment as France’s new coach was announced on Tuesday, Zinedine Zidane clenched his fists and his normally reserved voice trembled a bit.<\/p>\n
\u201cI\u2019m excited,\u201d he said. “The French team gives us dreams. We have extraordinary players, an extraordinary team.”<\/p>\n
Zidane coached Real Madrid until his retirement in 2021. Didier Deschamps<\/span> Taking charge of the French national team, he became perhaps the greatest player of all time.<\/p>\n“I’ve been waiting for this chance for five years, so I’m feeling a little bit emotional,” Zidane said, adding that it was the happiest day of his career as a manager. <\/p>\n
“I have always watched this team as a fan and as a future coach, and I have no intention of hiding that,” Zidane added. “That’s why I didn’t take sides with the club. I told myself that all I wanted to do after Madrid was to lead the French team.”<\/p>\n
French Football Federation president Philippe Diallo announced Zidane’s appointment at FFF headquarters in Paris on Tuesday, saying he had been given a four-year contract. <\/p>\n
Diallo called Zidane’s appointment an “exceptional moment” and described him as “one of the legends of French football”.<\/p>\n
Zidane, 54, could have gone to another club after leaving Madrid in 2021, but he was not supposed to do so.<\/p>\n
\u201cDuring the five years I was away, I had several offers to manage the club,\u201d he said. “I turned down all participation in the French team. That was the only thing I wanted to do.”<\/p>\n
Zidane said it was an “immeasurable pleasure” to be in charge.<\/p>\n
“I have so many emotions,” he said. “I’m ready for the challenge.”<\/p>\n
Zidane praises deschamps<\/span>Les Bleus, who won the 2018 World Cup and resigned after the recent tournament. lost in the semifinals<\/span> To Spain.<\/p>\nCoach Zidane said, “I will do my best to help this team win.” \u201cI would also like to congratulate DD (Deschamps) on these wonderful years.\u201d<\/p>\n
Diallo said he met and spoke with Zidane in February 2025 after Deschamps announced he would step down after the 2026 World Cup. Zidane said France will play differently than they did under Deschamps.<\/p>\n
“What motivates me is the match. I was number 10. I like goals,” Zidane said. \u201cI was a leader in the field, but now I want to gain experience and become a leader.\u201d<\/p>\n
His first match will be in the Nations League away to Turkey on September 25, followed by a game in Belgium three days later.<\/p>\n
Twenty years after he was sent off for headbutting Italy defender Marco Materazzi in the 2006 World Cup final against Italy, home fans will have to wait until they can catch a glimpse of Zidane at the Stade de France on October 2nd when France takes on Italy.<\/p>\n
“I focused on all four upcoming games,” Zidane said, tapping his forehead. “Italy is special because I played there, I know people there, I speak Italian. All of those things.”<\/p>\n
After the announcement, Zidane greeted the crowd of fans gathered outside the federation’s headquarters, who cheered wildly upon his arrival.<\/p>\n
From Deschamps to Zidane<\/h2>\n
France loses in penalty shootout in World Cup final in 2022<\/span> Some critics of Deschamps, including former France teammate Christophe Dugarry, said Deschamps should have won more with the players he had.<\/p>\nDeschamps said there was a “breathtaking atmosphere” at the end of his term, but he did not elaborate on what the tensions were.<\/p>\n
Zidane and Deschamps were different types of midfielders, but forever linked by glory.<\/p>\n
The hardworking Deschamps was France’s captain and the mercurial Zinedine was the creative force behind France winning the 1998 World Cup and Euro 2000.<\/p>\n
Affectionately known as ‘Zizou’, his face was reflected in the Arc de Triomphe on the night France celebrated their first World Cup victory in 1998. Inspired, Zidane scored two headers in the final against Brazil at the Stade de France in a 3-0 win and won the Ballon d’Or later that year.<\/p>\n
Rise of Jizo<\/h2>\n
Born in Marseille to Algerian parents, Zidane grew up playing in his mansion in La Castellane, where there is a huge mural of Zidane on a skyscraper. It was on the concrete pitch at the Estate that Zidane developed an incredible sense of balance to avoid falling onto the hard ground.<\/p>\n
Zidane’s club career took him from Cannes to Bordeaux to two of the world’s biggest clubs, Italian giants Juventus and Madrid. <\/p>\n
His international career began in 1994, when he came on as a substitute against the Czech Republic and scored two spectacular goals in front of his hometown Bordeaux fans.<\/p>\n
He won league titles with Juve and Madrid, and in 2002 he helped Madrid win the Champions League with a brilliant volley. <\/p>\n
France lost in the group stage of the 2002 World Cup due to Zidane’s injury problems, but reached the final in 2006 after Zidane returned from international football.<\/p>\n
Zidane’s performance in the 1-0 victory over Brazil in the quarter-finals was a masterpiece of ballet. It was a hypnotic combination of drag-backs, step-overs, ball spins and over-the-shoulder flicks. <\/p>\n
Brazilians were in awe, and even Ronaldinho, himself a Ballon d’Or winner, seemed fascinated.<\/p>\n
His 108th and final game for France was in the final against Italy, where he scored his 31st and final goal for France with a deft Panenka-like penalty early on.<\/p>\n
And then, in front of millions of people around the world, the infamous moment occurred when he returned to the field and smashed his forehead into Materazzi’s chest, sending the tall defender flying backwards.<\/p>\n
Zidane trudged off the field in Berlin, trudging past the golden World Cup trophy, ending his international career.<\/p>\n
Now he has another chance to lead Les Bleus to glory.<\/p>\n
___<\/p>\n
AP Soccer: https:\/\/apnews.com\/hub\/soccer<\/span><\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n
\n
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