Zidane to return to coaching, eyeing France after 2026

Zinedine Zidane said on Sunday he will return to coaching and that his long-term aim is to lead the France national team, but he indicated he is unlikely to take a club role immediately. Speaking at the Festival dello Sport in Trento, the 53-year-old former Real Madrid coach and World Cup winner said he intends to come back to the dugout and that coaching France is a preferred future destination, though he added this is not something he expects to happen right away.

Zidane, who has not managed since leaving Real Madrid in 2021 after two spells in charge, reiterated his ambition while also tempering expectations about other possibilities. When asked about a return to Juventus, a club where he began his European career as a player, he said he kept the club close to his heart but that a move there had not materialized in the past. "I will definitely return," he told the audience, and said he would like to coach the national team one day, but not immediately.

The comments come amid a clear timetable for the France job. Didier Deschamps, who has managed the national side since 2012 and led France to the 2018 World Cup title and a runner-up finish in 2022, has said he will not seek a...