Manu Koné will step into Friday’s France-Italy meeting at the Stade de France with Rome behind him and Paris around him. The Roma midfielder, born in the French capital, expects a charged home occasion as France welcome Italy for the first home match under Zinedine Zidane.
It arrives after a productive spell for Koné in club football, including his two-goal display against Inter, and follows France’s win over Turkey. Yet the midfielder’s attention in Paris was fixed less on his own recent form than on the man now leading the national side.
Zidane’s presence gives France confidence
Koné spoke warmly of Zidane’s work with the squad, saying the former France great still possesses the technical quality that made him one of the game’s outstanding players.
“It is striking to see his technique,” Koné said. “He has not lost anything from his playing days. Watching him closely and seeing that touch on the ball makes you understand how exceptional he must have been.”
The Roma player described Zidane as a coach who pays close attention to individuals and remains near to his players. In Koné’s view, that approach has brought freedom and belief into the group.
“I am happy to work with a legend such as him,” he said. “He gives us confidence and asks us to play with freedom.”
Koné also expects the Stade de France to recognise Zidane’s return to the home touchline. “Given everything he achieved, that response is only natural,” he said. “We will experience the applause with everyone else.”
Rome has changed Koné’s game
Koné said his move to Roma has been a decisive stage in his development. He arrived in Italy at 23, having gone through a difficult period at Borussia Mönchengladbach, and remains grateful that Roma pursued him at that moment.
“Coming to Italy has made me more mature in the way I play,” he said. “I am more focused now. Tactically, I did not have the tools I have today. I have also learned to manage my energy better, and that has helped make me the player I am.”
His future was discussed late in the summer, when Chelsea were among the possible destinations. Koné did not expand on the circumstances, insisting that his commitment remains with Roma.
“Things happened, I know that,” he said. “But I am at Roma and I am focused here. What happened is in the past. I give everything to this club and will continue to do so to meet expectations.”
A familiar opponent in an important Italy test
Friday will bring Koné up against familiar figures from Trigoria, including Italy defender Gianluca Mancini and midfielder Bryan Cristante. Both have told their club team-mate that the fixture matters greatly to an Italy side seeking to emerge from a difficult rebuilding phase.
Koné acknowledged the importance Italy place on facing France, but said the hosts must concentrate on their own standards.
“Mancini and Cristante have said it will be an important match for them,” he said. “They are rebuilding and have had a difficult period. But we will focus on ourselves. We know what France are: we have outstanding players, and we are determined to win in the coach’s first match at the Stade de France.”
For Koné personally, the setting adds another layer. A Parisian by birth who has made Rome his footballing home, he is looking forward to a full stadium and the noise that comes with a major international evening.
“I love it when the Stade de France is loud,” he said. “It has been a long time since we last played there, and that will add to the occasion. We want to enjoy it with a victory.”
