Faithful to his legendary discretion, the former number 10 has remained silent in recent weeks and has been careful not to make any comments on his future or on the progress of the French team during the World Cup.
If he made several public appearances in the stands during the World Cup, it was in particular to encourage his son Luca, goalkeeper of Algeria, eliminated in the round of 16 by Switzerland.
“We must not rush things,” FFF president Philippe Diallo told L’Equipe on Sunday, two days before the elimination of the Tricolores in the semi-finals against Spain (2-0) on Tuesday in Arlington, near Dallas.
While the signing of Zidane is an open secret, the boss of the body has always taken care to protect the Blues and their current coach so as not to disrupt the preparation for the big North American meeting. But he still created some stir by spilling the beans in March in the columns of Le Figaro.
“Yes, I know his name,” he responded to a question about the identity of Deschamps’ successor, revealing that he had received “less than five” applications, “all French.”
“There are not a lot of people who can claim to lead one of the biggest teams in the world. We need a profile that ticks a lot of boxes and that can also attract support from the French, since this French football team is the team of the French,” he added.
Zinedine Zidane is therefore wisely biding his time and will likely take up his duties on September 1, the date on which his contract should officially begin, according to the French media l’Equipe.
“Legitimate”
Philippe Diallo’s comments had the gift of annoying Deschamps, in the middle of an American tour with the Blues. “I have a habit of not commenting on the president’s statements. I’m not going to waste any energy on this. What happens afterwards does not concern me,” he said.
The robot portrait sketched by Philippe Diallo corresponds to that of Zidane, the greatest player in the history of French football and one of the favorite personalities of the French, who became a successful coach on the bench of Real Madrid where he signed an incredible hat-trick in the Champions League (2016, 2017, 2018).
The world (1998) and European (2000) champion, aged 54 and without a position since his second stint with the Merengue (2019-2021), has never hidden his ambition to one day guide the Blues like his two illustrious former teammates in the national team, Laurent Blanc (2010-2012) and Deschamps (2012-2026).
“I feel legitimate in the French team, where I played and spent practically twelve, thirteen or fourteen years as a player. Of course, it’s a dream, I can’t wait,” he declared in May 2025 on the sidelines of an event organized by his personal sponsor, the equipment manufacturer Adidas.
“I want to, of course. I will be, I hope, one day,” he also said in 2022 in an interview with L’Equipe. According to several media, Zidane is already working on the outlines of his staff.
The question of its emoluments should not pose too many concerns to the FFF either. The agreement reached on July 8 between French deputies and senators in the joint committee (CMP) on a reform of the governance of professional sport provides for a capping of 450,000 euros gross annually on the remuneration of federation managers and their employees. A provision which could have constituted a huge obstacle to the appointment of Zidane but the CMP introduced a derogation procedure allowing, with the agreement of the Ministry of Sports, to go beyond for certain key positions, such as that of coach of the France team.
