For France: Zidane rejected a historic offer to coach another European national team
He waited a long time for his dream
A press report revealed today, Monday, that a European national team tried to sign Zinedine Zidane before he took charge of France.
The French Football Federation confirmed the appointment of Real Madrid's former manager, Zinedine Zidane, as coach of Les Bleus last July.
Didier Deschamps, the longest-serving coach in the post with the France national team, ended a 14-year spell leading the side after their semi-final defeat to Spain at the 2026 World Cup.
Zidane won the World Cup with France in 1998. He had not held any coaching role since leaving Real Madrid for the second time in 2021, before finally landing his dream job with Les Bleus.
The website "Foot Mercato" said today, Monday, that Zidane could have become the first French coach of the Belgium national team.
After Domenico Tedesco departed in January 2025, Vincent Mannaert, then the sporting director of the Belgian Football Federation, made the 1998 World Cup winner his top priority to take charge of the Red Devils.
An offer arrived, but Zidane quickly made clear that only one post interested him: coaching the France national team, which he landed a few months later.
So the choice fell on Rudi Garcia to coach Belgium at the 2026 World Cup.
Mannaert's interest in Zidane goes back ten years, to a training camp at Club Brugge in February 2015 where he had the chance to watch him at work.
Then coach of Real Madrid's reserve team, the Frenchman oversaw a session with the Club Brugge Under-19 side led by Rik De Mil, and impressed everyone with his human touch.
What struck Mannaert most was Zidane's humility, his attention to the technical staff, and his ability to reassure the young players quickly.
He said: "It was clear that he had great respect for Michel Preud'homme's work, and that he was keen to learn."
That experience convinced the Belgian executive that Zidane had every attribute needed to become a great national team coach in the future.
