Deschamps: Zidane a ‘natural’ candidate to take over as France coach

PARIS (AP):

France coach Didier Deschamps sees Zinedine Zidane as a “natural” candidate to take over when he steps down from the national team.

Deschamps announced last month that he will stop after the 2026 World Cup, ending a successful reign which began in 2012 and saw France win the 2018 World Cup and reach the 2022 final.

Speculation has been high – even before Deschamps made his announcement – that Zidane would take over eventually. Many see the former midfield great as the people’s choice and Deschamps does not disagree.

“Zizou (Zidane) is a very good candidate, a natural and an expected one,” Deschamps said in an interview with sports daily L’Équipe published on Friday. “But then again, I don’t know if he will want it.”

The 52-year-old Zidane has not coached since ending his second spell in charge of Real Madrid, leading the Spanish giant to three Champions League and two La Liga titles.

Zidane and Deschamps played together in midfield – as magical creator and tough enforcer – when Les Bleus won the 1998 World Cup and the European Championship two years later.

France lost to Spain at the semifinal stage of last year’s Euros, where Kylian Mbappé broke his nose and failed to score enough goals.

“But at the Euro (Mbappé) wasn’t the only one,” Deschamps said. “Most of the attacking players weren’t at their best for different reasons, and that impacted our competition.”

Amid a difficult start to his Real Madrid career Mbappé was left out of two squads by Deschamps, prompting talk of a rift. In December, a rape investigation in Stockholm that Swedish media said focused on Mbappé was dropped.

In an interview that aired on French TV station Canal Plus, Mbappé said that he had not even been contacted by Swedish authorities and that he reacted with disbelief when reports emerged following his visit to Stockholm.

Mbappé has found his form again and is scoring regularly. Deschamps said he will be called back into the squad in March for Nations League games against Croatia.

Deschamps could not guarantee he will still be captain, because it also depends on what Mbappé wants.

“For my part, yes, he will be captain,” he said. “But I will talk with him, as we often do.”

Deschamps added in the interview that he does not regret his decision to step down next year.

“I am not tired or worn out, but I feel that I have done my time. All good things must come to an end,” he said. “The French team is a very good thing, because it represents 25 years of my professional life when I combine my two lives.”