France and Real Madrid legend Zinedine Zidane has reportedly declined an opportunity to take over as the coach of the Algerian national team, according to French outlet L’Équipe.
The head of the Algerian technical bench role has been vacant following the resignation of Djamel Belmadi after a disastrous campaign at the AFCON following their elimination after group stages.
This has been the second time in a row as they have been eliminated after group stages.
Algeria was paired in Group D with Angola, Burkina Faso, and Mauritania. They drew their first two games 1-1 against Angola and 2-2 against Burkina Faso.
In the last group game, they lost narrowly in a 1-0 scoreline to minnows Mauritania.
AfricaSoccer.com understands that the 1998 World Cup winner was flattered by the job offered to him by the Algerian Football Federation, but him immediately declined the country of his descent.
Zidane has not been in the dugout since 2021 after his resignation from European giants Real Madrid.
The Algerian Football Federation has reportedly lined up potential replacement for Belmadi, including Herve Renard, Vahid Halihodzic, Vladimir Petkovic, and Jorge Sampaoli.
