Former Real Madrid manager Zinedine Zidane feels there is ‘great potential’ in the France national team after being announced as Didier Deschamps’ successor.
Les Bleus were widely regarded as favourites to win the 2026 World Cup in the USA, Mexico and Canada pre-tournament.
The French side made it to the semi-finals, where they lost to Spain, who went on to be crowned world champions after a gritty 1-0 win over Argentina in the final.
Deschamps had been in charge of the France national team for 12 years, and oversaw a period of success which saw Les Bleus win the World Cup in 2018 and the 2021 Nations League.
They were also European Championships runners-up in 2016 and World Cup runners-up in 2022 – but lost their final game under Deschamps to England, who secured a thrilling 6-4 victory to finish third in the 2026 World Cup.
Linked to Man Utd
Zidane had previously been heavily linked with Manchester United after leaving Real Madrid, having won two La Liga titles as well as three consecutive Champions League trophies with the Spanish giants between 2016 and 2018.
But he admitted to the press that he was happy to wait for the France job, telling Sky Sports: “This job is the only job I wanted to do after my career with Real Madrid.
“I’ve always seen the France national team in the view of a fan – but also as a future manager.
“That’s the reason why I didn’t take on a new club team.
Great projects
“I told myself that the only thing I wanted to do after Real Madrid was the French national team. I kept myself away from those teams.
“I had great projects, and could have done them for two or three years.
“But since Deschamps’ decision at the start of 2025 to step down after the next World Cup, the next day I was very animated to say I wanted to be his successor.
“So I met the president in February 2025 and it’s led us to here.”
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Magnificent style of play
Zidane is keen to put his own stamp on the national team’s playing style, adding: “The team’s run and style of play were magnificent.
“I was there in person and had a great time, just like the other fans.
“There are no complaints about how things went.
“Honestly, we’re going to do things differently.
“Didier Deschamps is Didier Deschamps. Laurent Blanc was Laurent Blanc. Zizou is Zizou.
“I’m going to try to do what I know how to do.
Maintain continuity
“It’s not a clean break, either. I want to maintain continuity so that the French team keeps winning.
“There’s no worry. It’s a completely different job from club coaching. It doesn’t scare me.
“I’ll have a balance between my personal life and the French national team. It suits me perfectly. It’s a different kind of job, and I have no issues with that.
“I didn’t sit around twiddling my thumbs for five years. I watched more matches than when I was coaching Real Madrid. I saw a huge number of them.
“I watched the French national team a lot, and there is great potential.”
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SportJustSport writers 
Michael Davey