A new era begins during this international break for the French national team and for Zinedine Zidane. After Didier Deschamps’ 14 years at the helm of Les Bleus, his former teammate is now taking over, starting with France’s four Nations League matches in September and October.
A historic coaching career
Zidane’s coaching career is unparalleled. He has already won more titles than most coaches will ever win in their entire careers, and he has done it all at a single club: his beloved Real Madrid. In two separate stints—one from 2016 to 2018 and another from 2019 to 2021—the Frenchman led Real Madrid to a total of 11 titles.
The highlight was the historic three consecutive UEFA Champions League titles during his first three seasons at the helm, after replacing Rafa Benítez midway through the 2015–16 season. Zidane had been coaching Castilla, Real Madrid’s reserve team, since 2014, and club president Florentino Pérez entrusted him with the role of head coach of the first team. It was a perfect match, as the former Ballon d’Or winner knew how to connect with a star-studded locker room—led on offense by Karim Benzema, Gareth Bale, and Cristiano Ronaldo—and inspire the team to win three consecutive European Cups.
In the 2016–17 season, the Whites combined their Champions League victory with the LALIGA EA SPORTS title—an even more exceptional feat. It was the first time since the 1957–58 season that the Spanish club had won both the national championship and the continent’s top title in the same season, even though it had lifted the European Cup eight times since then. That season for Real Madrid is still considered one of the most special in recent memory, with Zidane adopting an “A-team–B-team” approach and sometimes taking rotations to the extreme, all while maintaining consistent results.
A return to Madrid
After leaving in 2018, stating that Real Madrid needed a change on the bench, Zidane returned to the club in March 2019. He led the team to another LALIGA EA SPORTS title in the 2019–20 season—a season marked by the coronavirus—with 10 consecutive wins after the competition resumed behind closed doors. The way the Whites strung together victory after victory at a time of such uncertainty for everyone was a testament to Zidane’s ability to manage the team’s emotions.
The 2020–21 season ended without a title for Real Madrid, though they came very close to winning another league championship. The title was decided on the final matchday against their city rival, Atlético de Madrid, and the Rojiblancos ultimately claimed the championship by a two-point margin. Zidane left once again and has not managed a match for just over five years, since that Matchday 38 game against Villarreal CF in the 2020–21 season.
