When Didier Deschamps announced before the 2026 World Cup that he would step down after the tournament, the succession plan hardly needed explaining.
For years, Zinedine Zidane had been linked with the France job whenever a major vacancy appeared. Paris Saint-Germain wanted him. Juventus remained interested. Saudi Arabia was prepared to spend heavily. None of it mattered.
"The France team was the only job I wanted," Zidane said during his first press conference, revealing that an agreement with the French Football Federation had already been reached in early 2025. By then, both sides knew they simply had to wait for Deschamps' cycle to come to an end.
That patience makes this appointment feel unusual.
Most elite coaches spend years moving from one club to another, rarely staying out of work for long. Zidane chose a different route. Since leaving Real Madrid in 2021, he has not coached a single match. Instead, he stepped away from the daily routine of football while waiting for the one role he believed was worth delaying his return.
Now he inherits one of the strongest squads in international football - and one of the most demanding jobs.
It is easy to understand why France wanted Zidane. His record at Real Madrid speaks for itself and his standing within French football has never really been questioned. Players who grew up watching him still describe him with a level of admiration normally reserved for the game's greatest figures.
The more interesting question is whether five years away from coaching matters.
Football has changed since Zidane last stood on the touchline. The tactical gap between club and international football has narrowed. Spain under Luis de la Fuente and Germany under Julian Nagelsmann have shown that national teams can play with the same positional discipline, coordinated pressing and structured build-up usually associated with Europe's biggest clubs. International football is no longer simply about assembling the best players and giving them a clear shape.
That does not necessarily work against Zidane.
One of the misconceptions about his Real Madrid teams is that they succeeded because they lacked tactical structure. Former players have consistently described something different. Zidane was less interested in imposing a rigid system than in identifying what his squad already did well and building around it. Training sessions focused on relationships, decision-making and understanding spaces rather than rehearsing endless patterns of play.
That philosophy may suit international football better than club football. National team coaches have little time to introduce complex systems. They often rely on trust, clarity and experienced players making good decisions under pressure.
The challenge is that expectations around France have also changed.
Deschamps built one of the most successful international teams of the last decade. His football was often criticised for being conservative, particularly given the attacking talent available, but France consistently reached the latter stages of major tournaments because every player understood his role.
Zidane inherits the opposite expectation.
No one doubts France will compete. The question is whether they can become a more expansive side without sacrificing the balance that made them so difficult to beat. With Kylian Mbappé, Ousmane Dembélé, Michael Olise and Bradley Barcola available, supporters will expect more than efficiency.
That is where Zidane's second career really begins.
His achievements at Real Madrid will always be part of the conversation, but they will not decide how this appointment is judged. France are not hiring the coach who won three consecutive Champions League titles. They are hiring the coach they believe can win the next World Cup.
Whether five years away from the dugout proves irrelevant or impossible to ignore is something nobody can answer today. It is also the reason Zidane's return may become one of the most fascinating coaching stories of the next international cycle.
Published by Patrick Jane
31.07.2026