PARIS (AP) – This Saturday, France national men’s football team will face England in the World Cup third-place playoff in Miami, a match that will mark the end of Didier Deschamps’ 11-year tenure as Les Bleus’ head coach. For both sides, the bronze medal match is a hollow consolation prize, coming after crushing semifinal eliminations that cut short each team’s dreams of lifting the sport’s most coveted trophy. The outcome marks a underwhelming close to Deschamps’ reign, after widespread expectations that his star-stacked squad would compete for a second world title under his leadership. In the wake of his departure, football legend Zinedine Zidane is widely tipped to be confirmed as the new head coach by the French Football Federation in the coming days.
Deschamps’ legacy with the French national team is defined by both historic glory and lingering debate. As a manager, he led France to a World Cup victory in 2018, a gut-wrenching penalty shootout loss in the 2022 World Cup final, and an early semifinal exit against Spain in this year’s tournament. Over his 14 years at the helm, Deschamps claimed only one major senior trophy – the 2018 World Cup – after falling to Portugal in the 2016 UEFA European Championship final on home soil. Critics argue that this trophy haul underdelivered given the elite talent Deschamps had at his disposal, a group that included global stars such as Kylian Mbappé, Paul Pogba, Antoine Griezmann, 2022 Ballon d’Or winner Karim Benzema and Ousmane Dembélé. Supporters, however, point out that Deschamps delivered consistent high-level results for Les Bleus throughout his tenure. Regardless of differing takes on his legacy, the next France head coach will face enormous pressure to live up to Deschamps’ track record, and few candidates carry the prestige and profile to match the role better than Zidane. Widely regarded as France’s greatest ever player, and a coach with three Champions League titles to his name during a trophy-laden spell at Real Madrid, Zidane looks like an ideal fit for the job.
Ironically, Deschamps and Zidane have been linked to French football glory for decades, despite their wildly contrasting playing styles. When France claimed its first home World Cup title in 1998 and followed it up with a Euro 2000 crown, Deschamps was the hard-working, tireless defensive captain who anchored the midfield, while Zidane was the magical creative playmaker who drove the team’s attacking threat and produced the iconic moments that lifted the side to glory.
France’s 2-0 semifinal defeat to Spain exposed clear tactical gaps in Deschamps’ game plan that have fueled calls for a new approach. Pinned back by Spain’s relentless, fluid possession play, France was completely overrun in central midfield, its pressing system failed to generate any disruption, and its vaunted attack was effectively neutralized – with Deschamps unable to adjust with an effective alternative strategy to turn the tide. This has long been a core criticism of Deschamps from detractors, including former France teammate Christophe Dugarry, who have repeatedly argued that Deschamps’ pragmatic, defensive-focused approach stifles creative freedom in midfield. For Zidane, who made his name as one of the most creative playmakers in football history, a shift to a more expansive, attacking style is widely expected. That could open the door for technically gifted young talents such as Michael Olise or Rayan Cherki to earn increased opportunities in central playmaker roles, or a tactical shift that sees Dembélé drop into a deeper playmaking position, a role he has excelled in at Paris Saint-Germain.
One of the most anticipated potential changes under Zidane would be a return to the national squad for Benzema, who shares a close personal and professional bond with Zidane from their time together at Real Madrid. The pair won three consecutive Champions League titles between 2016 and 2018, and Zidane was widely credited with developing Benzema into a complete, ruthless goalscorer who would go on to claim the Ballon d’Or in 2022. At 38, Benzema’s age is cited as a barrier to a return to international football, but Zidane may well see an outside role for the veteran, following in the footsteps of 39-year-old Lionel Messi, who turned back the clock to lead Argentina to glory in this tournament. Benzema could thrive in a more withdrawn attacking role, where his elite technical skill and passing vision would create space for younger, faster forwards, an outcome that would draw a sharp contrast with Deschamps, who excluded Benzema from the national squad for nearly six years over his alleged involvement in a blackmail scandal involving former teammate Mathieu Valbuena. Benzema was eventually recalled for Euro 2020, where he finished as France’s top scorer with four goals, and formed a lethal attacking partnership with Mbappé as France won the 2021 UEFA Nations League. Their relationship fractured permanently ahead of the 2022 World Cup, when Benzema was sent home from the squad with a thigh injury, a sequence of events Benzema has publicly disputed. While recalling Benzema would be a bold decision for Zidane, it remains firmly on the table.
A key question surrounding Zidane’s potential appointment is his readiness for the high-pressure role of France manager, given he has not held a coaching position since departing Real Madrid for a second time in 2021. On the flip side, the five-year break from the scrutiny and stress of top-tier management leaves Zidane refreshed and hungry for a new challenge. If confirmed, Zidane’s first match in charge of France will be an away Nations League fixture against Turkey on September 25, followed by a trip to Belgium three days later. French fans will get their first look at Zidane as head coach at the Stade de France on October 2, when Les Bleus face Italy. That match carries extra narrative weight: Zidane’s final appearance as a France player also came against Italy, in the 2006 World Cup final, where he opened the scoring with a cheeky Panenka penalty before being sent off in extra time for a infamous headbutt on Italian defender Marco Materazzi. France went on to lose the final on penalties, but the French public never held the incident against their beloved “Zizou”, whose deep connection with the nation remains as strong as ever.