Zinedine Zidane, the technical director of the French national team, made his first statements after the announcement of his official appointment as coach of the Roosters succeeding Didier Deschamps, during a press conference today.
The French Football Federation held a press conference on Tuesday afternoon to announce Zidane's appointment as Deschamps' successor, marking the beginning of a new era.
Zidane said in statements published by the French network "rmc": "I want to start with a message of support for all firefighters as many families are going through difficult circumstances, I would like to thank you for your trust, I also thank the executive committee of the federation with whom we spoke this morning, I thank all the staff here for their daily work".
He added: "Today a dream has come true, today is a continuation of my career, I have received offers to coach clubs over the course of four or five years, my answer was rejection until I could take the position of national team coach, the only thing I wanted, I knew that since I was young, I started in the youth ranks and went through all the stages until I reached the first team, I will do my utmost to ensure that this team continues to achieve victories as that is the only thing that motivates me".
He continued: "I commend Deschamps' efforts, it is an opportunity to say well done to him, something new will begin, but the goal is always the same and that is winning, Mr. President I will give everything I can for that team, I look forward with enthusiasm to starting work, overwhelming joy, I am happy with what is happening to me, I find no other words to express my feelings with, I feel very overwhelming emotions, ready for the challenge".
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He went on: "You will see my style soon, we will hold a conference in September, I am passionate about the game, I was a playmaker, scoring goals is what motivates me, I lived in Spain for 25 years and you know what that means, I was a captain on the pitch, now I gain the attribute of leadership based on my experience, the best thing that ever happened to me was winning the 1998 World Cup".
He admitted: "I spent that period (after his departure from Real Madrid) waiting for that day, I am emotionally affected today, you may not see that, but I am truly extremely happy, I am happy, I cannot explain how we will win matches in a few words, I have an exceptional team that is already ready, I just need some time to adapt and get to know the players and explain the game plan and what we will do together, I will have to keep that team in a winning state".
Regarding the future captain of the French national team, he said: "I have not spoken with Mbappé yet, rest is the most important thing for him now, we will have the opportunity to discuss all that with him and with all the players soon, in September".
He returned again: "I did not take charge of any club for this reason, because I have always looked at that team as a future coach, the only thing I wanted to do after Real Madrid was to coach the national team, that decision was taken in January 2025, we met with the president and the agreement was concluded, thanks to the fans for their support throughout my career, I felt your presence, I want to continue making you dream".
He affirmed: "I know that coaching the national team is different from the club, but that does not scare me, this is what I wanted to do, I will balance my personal life and the national team, this suits me perfectly, a lifetime contract with Adidas? No, that does not exist, I have a contract with them but that does not change anything, they will not interfere in the affairs of the national team, but I will not abandon the sponsor I have been associated with for 30 years".
Regarding the competition with Spain, he said: "It is not limited to them, they are a strong team, my priority is the first match, against Turkey, we have 4 matches in September, I will spend about 3 weeks with the players which is great for preparation".
When asked about France's defeat to Spain in the World Cup, he said: "I know very well that it was a complex and difficult match, things can change in one match, what I will put will not change, my goal now is the match against Turkey, our first match together".
Regarding what he did since his departure from Real Madrid, he said: "I did not waste my time, I watched many matches, even more than I used to watch when I was coach of Madrid, I watched many matches of the French national team, I watched many things".
He resumed: "My coaching staff? My close team and my technical staff are already there, it is practically the same team that was with me all those years at Real Madrid, with the addition of only two or three members, I am loyal in this regard, we will continue the journey with them".
He concluded: "The racism that the French national team suffers from? We live in a wonderful country, characterized by diversity, I grew up in a neighborhood that was spacious for everyone, we must fight racism".
