Soccer / Football · The Guardian

Zidane’s next move as France coach may reveal the wizard behind the curtain | Jonathan Wilson

Published by The Guardian on September 19, 2026 at 3:00 PM ET

It is apt that the most perplexing football country will now be guided by the most enigmatic of leaders Even in his playing days, Zinedine Zidane seemed unknowable. As a manager, the sense of distance has only grown. He won three Champions Leagues with Real Madrid without ever giving a sense of what his idea of football looked like. France are perhaps the most perplexing football country: a squad that teems with such talent that a B team would be serious contenders at a World Cup, that reached three major finals under Didier Deschamps with a sense of unfulfilment, a team that progressed but rarely entranced, or at least didn’t until this summer’s World Cup, when they attacked with gusto and ended up overrun in midfield by Spain . Continue reading...

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