Zinedine Zidane begins France tenure with Nations League test in Turkey

Zinedine Zidane will take charge of France for the first time on Friday when the newly appointed coach leads Les Bleus away to Turkey in the UEFA Nations League.

The 54-year-old succeeds Didier Deschamps, ending a 14-year reign in which France won the 2018 World Cup and reached at least the semi-finals of five of the past six major tournaments.

Zidane is regarded as one of France’s greatest players, alongside Michel Platini. While Deschamps captained the team that won the 1998 World Cup on home soil and Euro 2000, Zidane was the creative force in both sides.

The Marseille-born son of Algerian immigrants made his 108th and final appearance for France in the 2006 World Cup final against Italy in Berlin. His international career ended with the infamous headbutt on Marco Materazzi during extra time, before France lost on penalties.

Zidane had moved abroad a decade earlier, leaving Bordeaux for Juventus at the age of 24. After five years in Italy, he enjoyed the peak of his playing career at Real Madrid, where he later had two spells as manager and guided the club to three successive Champions League titles between 2016 and 2018.

His second spell at the Bernabeu ended in 2021. He then waited for the opportunity to manage France, a role he described as a long-held ambition.

“I have been waiting four or five years for this day. I am filled with emotion, I am really excited. I am happy. This is huge for me,” Zidane said when he was presented in Paris in late July.

Kylian Mbappe welcomed his appointment on Instagram with the words: “Welcome home.”

Zidane’s first squad includes several new faces and is expected to adopt a more attack-minded style than France used for much of the Deschamps era. Mbappe has been confirmed as captain, with Michael Olise and Ousmane Dembele also included.

Mbappe scored 10 goals and finished as the tournament’s leading scorer at this year’s World Cup in North America, while Olise was one of France’s standout performers. Dembele, the previous year’s Ballon d’Or winner, also made an impact during the competition.

William Saliba is absent through injury, while Real Madrid midfielder Aurelien Tchouameni is another notable omission. Liverpool centre-back Jeremy Jacquet has been rewarded for his strong start to the season, with Como midfielder Lucas Da Cunha and Rennes forward Esteban Lepaul also receiving call-ups. Lepaul was Ligue 1’s leading scorer last season.

“You will get to see how I see football. Playing good football is what gets me going,” Zidane said. “There will always be a balance to the side, but I want to see us play and I think we have the team to do that.”

David Bettoni, Zidane’s former colleague at Real Madrid, will be his assistant, while Fabien Barthez, a World Cup winner with Zidane, has been appointed goalkeeping coach.

France will then face Belgium away before Zidane’s first home match on 2 October against Italy at the Stade de France. His initial major target is Euro 2028 in the UK and Ireland, followed by the 2030 World Cup in Morocco, Spain and Portugal.