Bixente Lizarazu, former world champion and much-loved consultant, gave his clear opinion on the post-Deschamps era in an interview with L’Équipe. Before a historic change for the France team, his declaration on the future coach does not go unnoticed and rekindles the debates.
Frankly, Lizarazu insisted on the importance of appointing Zinedine Zidane to take over from Didier Deschamps after the 2026 World Cup. “If we have someone like Zizou and we don’t consider it fantastic, I don’t understand anything about football anymore,” he declared. A strong sentence which highlights his unwavering support for his former teammate, while indirectly responding to those who still doubt Zidane for this role.
Zidane, the obvious for Lizarazu
For Bixente Lizarazu, the choice of Zidane as natural successor is beyond doubt. “He wants it, it’s his dream, and he has proven himself as a coach,” he added, recalling the successes of the French technician at Real Madrid. According to him, the transition is ideal: Zidane now has time to prepare, and the Federation should consider this opportunity as obvious.
Lizarazu votes for Zidane.
Lizarazu’s strong support comes in a context where the debate around the future of the Blues is already generating strong reactions. His words resonate all the more strongly as they recall the past tensions between Didier Deschamps and Zidane, two emblematic figures of French football.
A clear stance
Implicitly, Lizarazu also seems to criticize those who could minimize Zidane’s candidacy, particularly after the clumsy remarks of Noël Le Graët, former president of the FFF.
“Zizou is a man of few words, but what he says is never in vain,” he said, reaffirming the legitimacy of the former number 10 tricolor.
With this release, Lizarazu asks a clear question: how could we consider another choice than Zidane to lead the Blues? A question probably shared by a good number of French fans.
