Zidane already sounds for France

One of Zinedine Zidane's dreams has always been to coach the French team, and could be close to doing so. The president of the French federation, Noël Le Graet, has assured in an interview that the technical director of Real Madrid is the main option to handle when Didier Deschamps leaves his post. “If Didier leaves him and I'm still here, the first person I would see would be Zidane,” he said on RTL's microphones. “I have a very good relationship with Zidane, at least personally,” adds Le Graet, president since 2011 and with whom France lifted the second World Cup in its history in 2018.

However, the key “is in Didier”. The coach has taken France to the top and will have the right to decide his future. His contract was extended in 2019 until 2022, once the Qatar World Cup ends. If the former midfielder was not renewed at the head of 'les bleus', Le Graet will take advantage of his contacts to tempt the now Real Madrid coach.

The Marseille, whose second stage began in March 2019, has a contract until June 2022. The key year that Le Graet marks.

At a press conference, Zidane was asked about these statements by the current president of the French Football Federation. “My mind is here, in the present, at Real Madrid,” he explained. “In Madrid, which have been here for almost 20 years, the club has given me the possibility and I enjoy every day of the moment. It is something that I like, I am passionate about. I am here, what happens in the future is unknown. You don't know either, if you're going to work somewhere else. We'll see in the future, “he added, focusing on the present.

The coach, yes, confirmed the good relationship with Le Graet since he worked in the French League and that being the coach of 'les bleus' is something that comes from afar. “My relationship with Le Graet is good. We have known each other since '98 when I was in the league. We have always had a good relationship. The national team can be a target one day. I said it 10 years ago when I started training. It may be a possibility one day. Today I am here and it is my duty to think only about what I do here, “he declared on this matter.

A symbol in France

“Zidane, president!” they sang the Champs Elysees back in the summer of 1998, metaphorically calling on Marseille as the country's highest president. The song, beyond the joke, speaks of the legend that is Zinedine Zidane in France.

Zizou was an international since the U-17 and reached the senior team under the guidance of Aimé Jacquet in 1994 at the age of 22. The Marseillais won the World Cup in 1998, with two goals in the final, and the Euro 2000. He closed his career with the national team in 2006 in the World Cup final, in which he also scored but ended in defeat against Italy.