French footballing legend Zinedine Zidane may be on course to fast-track his return to the technical area after his hiatus from club management may soon be at an end in the wake of missing out on the chance to follow in the footsteps of former international teammate Didier Deschamps.
Speculation regarding whether or not Deschamps was to remain in France’s top job after their penalty shootout loss to Argentina in the finals of the 2022 World Cup finals gave a possible pathway for Zidane to lead France from the touchline and possibly add another chapter of his international influence on the Gallic nation, but that chance will not come after Deschamps will remain in his seat of power through 2026.
Que va faire Zidane après la prolongation de Deschamps ?
Zinédine Zidane devra encore patienter pour devenir sélectionneur des Bleus après la prolongation de Didier Deschamps jusqu’en 2026. Il pourrait se remettre prochainement sur le marché. https://t.co/tGNUXwwPRA pic.twitter.com/vRQlouRSIZ
— L’ÉQUIPE (@lequipe) January 7, 2023
Reports in L’Équipe suggest that Zidane could soon return to management and begin searching for his next employer rather than remain outside of playing an active role in the sport despite having previously turned down offers from Brazil, Portugal, and the United States.
Zidane enjoyed a fruitful career in club management at former club Real Madrid between 2014-21. Zidane first cut his teeth on the touchline as manager of Real’s B outfit for two seasons before being promoted through the system to senior duties in a pair of two-year stints (2016-18, 2019-21) that would see him lead the club to eleven major honors overall, including a fantastic return on the confident to the tune of three Champions League wins; more than any Madrid manager in history and joint-second most in the competitions history, level with Liverpool’s Bob Paisley and one behind current Madrid boss Carlo Ancelotti.
With alarm bells sounding at a number of top clubs around Europe, namely Premier League pair Chelsea and Tottenham, Zidane could certainly have a pathway back into the top level of competition on the continent in due course sooner than anticipated.
