Demigod scores a work win at Kocaeli Stadium in Zidane's debut

Zidane's debut as French national coach finally came on Friday evening after five years of waiting, when the Marseillaise sounded in the Kocaeli Stadium and he led his staff to a 1-0 victory – a work victory that confirms the semi‑god reputation of the former player‑coach. The note “To the app” was included in the original text.

Five years of waiting, missed start and first win

Zinédine Zidane had waited five years for the job as French national coach. On Friday evening, when the first notes of the Marseillaise rang out in the Kocaeli Stadium, he and his staff were missing because they lingered too long in the dressing room. The late start almost prevented the debut.

After the kickoff, Zidane coached his team in the typical Zidane style, standing upright on the sideline EPA, with sweeping gestures and occasional applause. He even stopped a ball that rolled to his feet, and displayed the elegance that made him famous as a player. France won the match 1-0.

Zidane chose, as at Real Madrid, the combination typical for him of suit, shirt and tie, which shimmered black or dark blue depending on the light. His appearance radiated the same elegance that made him legendary as a player.

Zinedine Zidane, former Real Madrid coach, ended his tenure there in 2021, where he won three Champions League triumphs from 2016 to 2018 and two Spanish league titles in 2017 and 2020. He said before his debut that he had “always waited for this chance”. Many offers had come, but he wanted the head role with the Blues.

Zinédine Zidane praised for performance, criticised for tardiness to La Marseillaise

Tactics, squad rejuvenation and outlook

In the first training sessions the players reacted enthusiastically. Bayern's centre‑back Dayot Upamecano said: “We were all fans of him when we were kids.” The French sports newspaper L’Équipe described Zidane as a semi‑god who has come down to earth.

Zidane prefers a 4‑3‑3 system with high pressing, quick passing sequences and rapid ball recovery. He presented the squad list with an AI‑generated video and omitted some of Deschamps’ favourite players, including the brothers Lucas (30) and Theo Hernandez (28) as well as Marcus Thuram (29), Lucas Digne (33) and N’Golo Kanté (35).

Kylian Mbappé remained captain, but was moved from the attacking centre to the left wing. He scored the decisive goal on Friday coming from the left side with his right foot, but injured his left knee and will miss the next international matches.

Zidane won't call substitutes; France missing Mbappé, Italy, Belgium

After the win Zidane said: “But we can be satisfied. We kept the balance throughout the whole match.” The coach emphasized that the team had maintained the balance over the entire game and expressed satisfaction with the work victory.