Former French FA boss Noël Le Graët believes Zinedine Zidane may be reluctant to take on the role of head coach of the French national team despite having been linked to the job for several years. The 83-year-old shared his thoughts in a recent interview with RMC Sport, where he claims: “I don't know if he cares [Zidane] Actually, I haven't had any contact with him. But it is the job of those sitting there.”
Les Bleus will be looking for a new manager following Didier Deschamps' announcement on Tuesday that he will step down when the 2026 World Cup ends. Le Graët, who was FFF president at the previous two World Cups, came under fire for comments about Zizou at the end of the 2022 tournament in Qatar.
Shortly after Deschamps' contract was extended at the end of that competition, Le Graët was asked if he was considering Zidane taking the coaching job. He replied that he “didn't even want to take his call.” The words outraged many, including Captain Kylian Mbapé, 26, who said the president's words were “a lack of respect.”
Zidane, whose two goals in the 1998 final helped France win their first World Cup with Deschamps as captain, has not been a coach since leaving Real Madrid in May 2021. While at the Bernabéu, Zizou guided them to three consecutive UEFA Champions League matches. titles. He scored the winning goal as a player when they won that competition in 2002.
Together Zidane and Deschamps won the World Cup and the European Championship in 1998 and 2000 respectively. The Ballon d'Or winner was voted best FIFA coach in 2017 and, together with Pep Guardiola, he holds the record for the largest series of victories in La Liga. He is also the fastest manager in the history of the five major leagues to win seven titles with one club, which he did with Real Madrid in 19 months.
GFFN | Joel Lefèvre
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