Kylian Mbappé has spoken out after French federation chairman Noël Le Graët spoke out about Zinedine Zidane. The president said that it would not matter to him if Zidane became national coach of Brazil.
Last week it became clear that Deschamps and the FFF largely agreed with each other. The 54-year-old coach wanted to continue and after the excellent performances at the World Cup in Qatar there was little reason for dissatisfaction. Now the bullet is through the church: Deschamps has signed a new contract up to and including the World Cup in the summer of 2026.
This puts an end to all speculation about Deschamps’ succession. After the disappointing European Championship in 2021, the era of the trainer at the French federation seemed to be in its final phase. Zinedine Zidane was put forward in France as the dream candidate to succeed Deschamps after last month’s World Cup. Zidane himself was also interested in that.
However, towards and during the tournament in Qatar, the mood changed. France impressed and eventually grabbed next to the World Cup gold after penalties. Four years earlier, Deschamps had given his country the world title. In ten years as national coach, he led France to four finals: in 2016 the European Championship final was lost to Portugal, in 2021 France won the Nations League final against Spain.
Deschamps will therefore prepare for a very long employment. When he serves out his contract, he will have been national coach of France for no less than fourteen years.
“We never considered saying goodbye to Didier,” Le Graët told
Zidane has been linked in recent weeks to, among other things, the vacant positions at Brazil and Portugal. In any case, there was no room for him in France, Le Graët was clear. The chairman has confidence in Didier Deschamps. “I never met Zidane. We never considered saying goodbye to Didier. He must know what Zidane is doing,” Le Graët told RMC Sport.
The French football boss did not see Zidane becoming national coach of Brazil. “I’d be surprised if he goes there. Would it hurt me? I don’t really care. He can go wherever he wants. At a big club or country I don’t believe in him that much. What do I do if Zidane tries to reach me? I wouldn’t even pick up the phone,” he mentioned.
Mbappé also seems to have seen Le Graët’s statements. On Sunday evening, the Paris Saint-Germain attacker responded via Twitter: “Zidane is France. We don’t respect this legend enough.”
