Zidane stresses role as second fiddle to France players ahead of Turkey clash
Zinedine Zidane, the new coach for the France national football team, emphasized that his role is to support the players, who are the true protagonists, ahead of their upcoming match against Turkey. He expressed excitement about coaching the team and confirmed Kylian Mbappé's captaincy, along with other senior player roles.
Why it matters
This marks a significant transition for the French national football team with a legendary figure taking the helm, potentially shaping their future performance in major tournaments. Zidane's philosophy of empowering players could influence team dynamics and strategy, impacting their global standing.
Zidane was the creative heart of the France teams that won the 1998 World Cup and the European Championship in 2000.
Feted as one of the outstanding players of his generation, he went on to coach Real Madrid to three consecutive Champions League titles between 2016 and 2018.
He also guided them to a La Liga title and the Spanish Super Cup during a second spell at the Santiago Bernabeu from 2019 until 2021 . Zidane took over as France coach in July from Didier Deschamps, who captained France to World Cup and European glory.
"It's completely normal that people are talking a lot about me," Zidane said on the eve of his first match in charge. "It's the next chapter after 14 years of Didier . It's something new.
Get smarter about the news
Sign up free for a feed built around what you actually care about, Dive Deeper research on any story, and the full text of every article.
Create free accountAlready have an account? Sign in