Zinedine Zidane wants to make a swift return to club management with Didier Deschamps set to extend his contract with deposed world champions France.
Zidane seems to have been France’s manager-in-waiting forever. Arguably the country’s greatest ever player, the 1998 World Cup winner would be a popular choice among the French public, but his former teammate Deschamps simply keeps achieving.
France were unable to defend the title they won in Russia in 2018, but they could hardly have come closer in Qatar, losing on penalties to Argentina after Kylian Mbappe had forced a shoot-out at Lusail Stadium with a hat-trick.
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Kylian Mbappé at 24 or Lionel Messi at 24 🎂
Who’s better? 🤔 pic.twitter.com/yHsXReZVPh
— Football Transfers (@Transfersdotcom) December 19, 2022
Deschamps is now likely to take his tenure as France manager into an 11th year and beyond, with even French president Emmanuel Macron saying “Deschamps must stay!” after last Sunday’s World Cup final.
“[Zidane] lives comfortably and enjoys his large family,” write l’Equipe. “[But] he wants to take up a challenge where he knows he would have every chance of winning, in a well-structured club and where he would have full technical powers. Passion alone is not enough for Zidane.”
Where might Zidane go?
Four clubs will immediately be in the running for Zidane: Manchester United, Real Madrid, Juventus and Paris Saint-Germain, with varying degrees of likelihood regarding his potential arrival.
United sounded Zidane out before appointing Erik ten Hag and although the new manager has the backing of the board, the Glazer family made the club available for sale in November and new owners could have other ideas for the club. Zidane is understood to be reluctant to manager in the Premier League, even if he has been improving his English.
Real and Juve are two of Zidane’s former clubs, the former No.10 joining the former from the latter in the Galactico era in 2001 and later managing them to a record three consecutive Champions League triumphs.
READ: Zidane promises coaching return: Where will he go?
🇫🇷 Zinedine Zidane made his France debut 28 years ago today.
🤩 He scored two goals in three minutes – and the first was a bit special.
💰 Zizou became the most expensive player ever when Real Madrid bought him from Juventus in 2001 for €76m.pic.twitter.com/tfHIDQIvTs
— Football Transfers (@Transfersdotcom) August 17, 2022
Real are defending Spanish and European champions under Carlo Ancelotti, but the Italian is 64 in June and if they surrender either title this season – they are currently second in La Liga behind Barcelona – that could hasten his retirement.
Max Allegri has lost the faith of many Juventus fans, meanwhile, with the Old Lady currently third, 10 points off Napoli’s league-setting pace in Serie A. Most of the board resigned recently amid financial and legal trouble, though, and Juve might not provide the security Zidane would hope for.
PSG would, from a financial point of view, whilst they also have the same monopoly on the French title that Juventus used to have on the Italian one, but Zidane might not have the far-reaching powers he has previously enjoyed, and Paris are thriving for now with Christophe Galtier as head coach and Luis Campos as Football Advisor.