The first night of Zinédine Zidane’s France reign arrives in Turkey at 20:45, with the new head coach carrying the kind of attention that has followed him through every chapter of his football life. Zidane did not try to disguise the scale of the moment, saying his first match in charge of the national team has stirred even greater emotions than his debut as a France player 32 years ago.
“It may be even stronger,” Zidane said. “Thirty-two years is a long time ago. Now I feel enormous emotion at being here, leading the national team.”
France enter a new era after Didier Deschamps’ 14-year spell in charge, and Zidane accepted that his arrival has created a wave of interest. But he insisted that the spotlight should remain on the squad rather than its coach. “The players are the main people,” he said. “I will stay in my role. I am not looking for attention. I want to work with my players and win matches; that is what matters most to me.”
France preparing for a serious Turkish test
Zidane offered little detail on the tactical identity he intends to impose immediately, preferring to keep France’s plans for the match private. Asked whether supporters would see a recognisable “Zidane style” from the outset, he said the priority was simply to ensure his team were ready after work carried out during the camp.
He was similarly guarded over the role planned for Ousmane Dembélé, saying only that the answer would become clear on matchday. France have put “two or three things” in place, Zidane said, but he warned that Turkey will demand a complete performance.
“They are a competitive team,” he said. “Turkey are a very good side. Even at the World Cup, they went out early, but they deserved better. We will have to be good everywhere, with the ball and without it, not only in midfield.”
That message also framed his answer on France’s midfield: no single department will decide the contest, with Zidane stressing the need for collective control across the pitch.
Kylian Mbappé is set to captain France despite a minor physical concern. Zidane said the forward was well and expected to be available. Adrien Rabiot, rather than Mbappé, appeared alongside the coach before the match because the media requirement was for one player and one manager, and Rabiot had arrived first.
The new coach also expressed satisfaction with the integration of several fresh faces in his first squad. Zidane said the intention had been to include young players and underlined that places in the France set-up remain open to everyone. He described the group as close-knit and said the early days of the camp had gone very well.
Mbappé’s captaincy gives Zidane’s debut an additional personal thread. In 2012, Zidane welcomed a 12-year-old Mbappé at Real Madrid. Asked whether he could have imagined meeting him again 14 years later with France, Zidane admitted he had not foreseen it, although he had immediately recognised the youngster’s potential.
“It was not planned,” Zidane said. “But you could see what he had in him. Everyone was excited by the idea of Kylian playing for Real Madrid. It did not happen then, and we know the rest of the story.”
