It was at 11 a.m. sharp that Philippe Diallo, the president of the French Football Federation, appeared in the FFF auditorium. But it was the man who followed in his footsteps who attracted all the attention. Zinedine Zidane was indeed there, putting an end to the very stale suspense. We still had to wait several minutes, the time for Philippe Diallo to finish his introduction, before hearing the former number 10, 1998 world champion, say how happy he was to be there, with his new role as coach of the France team.
Zidane waited so long
“I would like to thank the FFF, the Comex for the trust it has placed in me during our discussions, as well as all the employees of the Federation for their work. There is a very good team and I am happy to be able to be part of this continuity. It’s a dream come true. I can tell you that I received offers to take over a club, but I refused them all for the France team. It’s the only thing I wanted to do after my experience at Real Madrid. I knew the French team as a kid, I went through all the stages until arriving at the A. Today, becoming the coach represents the pinnacle. I will give everything to ensure that France remains at the top”. A strong first speech, to demonstrate his love for the Blues, the sacrifices he has made and the patience he has shown.
After paying tribute to his predecessor Didier Deschamps, he was quickly questioned about his game plan, the style he wants to infuse into his team. “I am driven by the game, I was a number 10, what drives me is going to score goals. Of course, there needs to be team balance. I lived in Spain for 25 years, so you know what that means. I started with France, I am a number 10, I was a leader on the ground and I want to become a leader through my experience. You will slowly see my style, we will see each other again soon”he replied, subsequently dodging several questions on this subject. Zidane repeated it, the first gathering he will experience will take place in September, over three weeks. “My first match is Turkey, over there. We will have 4 matches in September. I will have three weeks with the players, it’s unprecedented, and it’s great to be with the players and prepare something. »
No breakup but…
He just agreed that this will necessarily be different from what Didier Deschamps did, but without any real break either. “I have no complaints about what happened. We will do things differently, that’s for sure. Didier Deschamps, Laurent Blanc and Zinédine Zidane are three different coaches, and I will bring my own approach. But there will be no breakup. The objective is to do everything possible to ensure that the French team continues to win. As for my playing philosophy and my ideas, we will have the opportunity to talk about it later”he assured, always relaxed, with a smile, visibly happy to be there, facing the press.
He also said a few words about his future staff. “My close and technical staff is already in place, it’s practically the one I had during all these years at Real Madrid, with perhaps two or three additions. I am loyal to that side, we will continue the adventure with these few people”. The details on the staff, the playing identity, the principles that he will want to transmit, will be for later, namely the disclosure of his first list as coach, for the September gathering. The main thing was not to say too much this Tuesday, but to display his joy, which he said was internal but which we could feel, and communication that was both relaxed, which was not so obvious, and controlled.
Relive Zinedine Zidane’s entire press conference.
