After Didier Deschamps, who will leave the French team in the wake of the 2026 World Cup, it is the largest legend of tricolor football should take over the reins of the selection: Zinedine Zidane. “Zizou” is the ultimate idol of France from the coronation at the 1998 World Cup, on a double of the head of the playmaker against Brazil in the final. With their Ballon d'Or, the Blues then won Euro 2000.
The IFFHS (International Federation of Football History and Statistics) logically place Zidane in the 10 of the best players of all time. Created in 1984, “The main objective of the IFFHS is the chronological documentation of the results, data and information relating to world football”. This organization regularly updates its “All Time Top 10”.
The last classification published (and relayed on X) thus places Lionel Messi in mind. The Golden Ballon Record (8 titles) has always entered the history of his sport by leading Argentina to victory at the World Cup in 2022, at the expense of the French team of Didier Deschamps. The number 10 of the Albiceleste thus is ahead of the Legends Pelé and Diego Maradona, also world champions (King Pelé is even triple world champion).
Zidane in the top 10, not Platini!
In this top 10, Zidane is thus in 7th position, since he is also preceded by Cristiano Ronaldo (4th), Johan Cruyff (5th) and Ronaldo (6th). His former Brazilian teammate from Real, nicknamed “R9”, “Il Fenomeno” or “Le True Ronaldo”, is twice world champion (1994 and 2002) and Double Ballon d'Or (1997 and 2002). “CR7”, top scorer in the history of football, and Cruyff, legend of the game, do not have the World Cup at their record.
Zidane is classified in front of Franz Beckenbauer and Alfredo Di Stefano, two players who also changed the history of football like Pelé. Ronaldinho closes the march of this top 10. The other legend of tricolor football, Michel Platini, triple European Golden Ball (1983, 1984 and 1985), is therefore not highlighted. No more than Marco Van Basten or Gerd Müller.
