“Not easy to replace me? Ah, that, I don’t know. No one is irreplaceable… I made sure to be as indispensable as possible, with the results that you know. But that’s all behind us. The most important thing is what is ahead and the new deadlines. »
It is through these terms that
Didier Deschamps spoke about his potential successor after having announced his desire to leave his position as coach of the France team in 2026. The technician therefore refuses to cite Zinédine Zidane, while the arrival of the Blues icon appears obvious. Close-up on potential successors.
Zidane, the favorite
This is the meaning of the story. Through his aura, his charisma, his competence and his eternal link with the France team, Zinédine Zidane appears as the big favorite to take over the Blues after the 2026 World Cup. Free, the former Real Madrid coach is waiting for the Blues since leaving the White House in 2021.
Philippe Diallo, the president of the FFF, prefers to kick in for the moment. “I will not enter into this debate. Didier has two years of contract and, out of respect for him, his staff and the players, the question of his succession does not arise today, launched the leader for L’Équipe. It is one of the monuments of French football and world football. It was he who contributed to this first star on our jersey. I have a lot of respect and admiration for one of the greatest players in the history of football. »
Henry, Fox, Genesio: the outsiders
If Zinédine Zidane is at the door of the French team, other potential names can return to the race by 2026. This is the case of Thierry Henry. A former teammate of Zidane and Deschamps at the Bleus, Henry does not have the same high-level experience as a coach, but his time as Espoirs coach for the Bleuets and then the Paris Olympic Games gave him credit, in addition to definitively reconciling it with the French public and integrating it into the federal landscape.
Another well-known technician in the FFF authorities: Hervé Renard. Charismatic and recognized for his qualities as a leader of men, the globe-trotter has a notable CV as a coach, even if his time at the helm of the women’s team was not a great success. Finally, in Ligue 1, Bruno Genesio certainly appears as the most credible candidate for a position that Christophe Galtier, now exiled in the Gulf, had courted in the past. So many names which cannot compete with that of Zidane at the moment T. After DD, France football awaits ZZ.