October 12, (THEWILL) — Zinedine Zidane has confirmed he will return to management and harbours ambitions to lead the France national team.
The former Real Madrid boss has been out of football since departing the Spanish club at the conclusion of the 2020/2021 campaign.
Speaking at the Festival dello Sport, Zidane stated: “I will definitely return.”
He added that his preference would be to manage France in the future, though not immediately, saying:
“My feeling is that I want to be able to coach the national team in the future, even though I do not mean right now. I would like to one day, but we will see.”
During two spells at Real Madrid, Zidane recorded 172 victories from 263 matches across all competitions. His tenure delivered three consecutive UEFA Champions League trophies from 2016 to 2018, alongside two La Liga titles, two UEFA Super Cups, and two FIFA Club World Cups. His teams netted 596 goals during that period.
Didier Deschamps will step down from the France position after the 2026 World Cup, with no successor yet announced.
Zidane is considered among the leading candidates for the role and has declined several opportunities in recent years, including offers from the United States national team and Bayern Munich.
When questioned about a potential return to Juventus, where he enjoyed playing success, Zidane remained non-committal.
He said, “It has not happened in the past; I made other choices. Juve is always close to my heart. They gave me so much when I first got there. In terms of the future, I do not know.”
Jude Obafemi is a versatile senior Correspondent at THEWILL Newspapers, excelling in sourcing, researching, and delivering sports news stories for both print and digital publications.
