Under the late-summer sun at Clairefontaine, Zinedine Zidane took charge of France training for the first time, beginning his tenure with Les Bleus at the national team’s familiar base outside Paris.
The former France great stepped onto the pitch as head coach with a new international cycle ahead, turning attention from his celebrated playing past to the practical work of preparing the squad.
Quick facts
- Zinedine Zidane has led his first training session as France coach.
- The session took place at Clairefontaine, France’s national football centre.
- France are scheduled to play four UEFA Nations League matches.
- The opening training included changes introduced by Zidane in his new role.
Clairefontaine has long been a landmark of French football, and Zidane’s first day there as manager carried the weight of that history. He now leads the country he represented as a player, taking over at a moment when the Nations League provides the immediate competitive framework.
France will have four fixtures in the competition, giving Zidane an early sequence of matches in which to shape his squad and establish his approach on the international stage.
For Les Bleus, the first training session marked the formal start of a new era: one of the nation’s defining football figures now directing the work from the touchline.
