France hires former football great Zinedine Zidane as national team coach<\/p>\n
Zinedine Zidane is France’s new coach, replacing Didier Deschamps at the helm of the team he led to glory as arguably its greatest ever player.<\/p>\n
French Football Federation president Philippe Diallo announced Zidane’s appointment at the FFF headquarters in Paris on Tuesday, saying he has been given a 4-year contract.<\/p>\n
“This is an exceptional moment, exceptional because of the person sat next to me,” Diallo said. “Zinedine is one of the legends of French soccer and for many years he said one of his dreams was to take charge of the France team.”<\/p>\n
The 54-year-old Zidane has not coached since leaving Real Madrid in 2021.<\/p>\n
“I would like to thank Didier Deschamps and his staff for their work,” Diallo said. “For 14 years he led the France team to the top.”<\/p>\n
Deschamps won the 2018 World Cup and stepped down after the recent World Cup, where Les Bleus lost in the semifinals to Spain.<\/p>\n