Two matches, two wins, and Zinédine Zidane’s first home game as France coach is waiting under the lights at the Stade de France. Before Italy arrive for the third round of the Nations League, Thierry Henry has described the scale of Zidane’s return to the national setup in terms that leave little doubt about the old No. 10’s standing.
The move
Zidane took charge of France after Didier Deschamps’ departure and has opened his tenure with successive victories. The Italy fixture will be his first match in front of a home crowd as Les Bleus manager.
Henry, Zidane’s 1998 World Cup-winning teammate, said he preferred not to offer tactical judgement on the national side, as he had taken the same approach during Deschamps’ reign. But he made clear that Zidane’s appointment carries an exceptional weight within French football.
“For us, in footballing terms, he is almost like God,” Henry said, stressing that he meant no religious offence. “Having Zidane with France is something extraordinary.”
The former France forward believes the squad have already shown the effect of Zidane’s arrival. Henry pointed to the reactions of players around the camp, saying their wide-eyed response was understandable when faced with a figure of Zidane’s stature.
He also offered a reminder that reputation alone will not define the new era. Zidane has delivered major success in his coaching career, Henry said, but France must continue to produce results.
“He has achieved things already, but now the results have to keep coming,” Henry said. “As I said when Didier was there, good luck.”
The French season around it
For Henry, the appointment has particular meaning because he has worked with members of France’s emerging generation through the under-21 team and at the Paris 2024 Olympic Games. He is pleased that players he knows from those environments will now develop under Zidane with the senior side.
Henry said Zidane could bring something important to a France group already rich in talent, while insisting that the bond with the national team remains powerful for former players as well as the current squad.
The 123-cap former striker, who scored 51 times for France, said the feeling returns immediately when an ex-player walks back into Clairefontaine or puts on the national-team tracksuit. He recalled returning to the training centre with the under-21s and feeling the occasion even during the taxi journey there.
“There is something different about France,” he said. “You put on that tracksuit or shirt and it brings a feeling you cannot match elsewhere.”
Henry saw that emotion in Zidane’s response to Michael Olise scoring. Zidane was generally calm and restrained during his time on the Real Madrid bench, Henry noted, even during spectacular moments such as Cristiano Ronaldo’s overhead kick. With France, however, the reaction was more instinctive.
“That reaction to Olise’s goal is the rooster,” Henry said, referring to the symbol carried by the French national side. “It is what the France team does to you.”
Fabien Barthez’s presence alongside Zidane has added another layer of nostalgia for Henry. Seeing the two former 1998 teammates at Clairefontaine felt strange in a positive way, he said, even while acknowledging the work of every member of the staff.
“When you saw Zidane and Barthez coming down, you thought: wow,” Henry said. “It was beautiful.”
He was equally careful not to diminish Deschamps’ contribution, underlining that France should not forget what the former coach achieved before Zidane’s appointment. But with a perfect start behind him and Italy next, Zidane’s new France story now moves into its first home night.
