Zidane kicks off the blue era under France's pressure
This Friday the French national team, led by Zinedine Zidane, made its Nations League debut against Turkey in Izmit (Kocaeli). The former Real Madrid coach took over from Didier Deschamps, who was in charge for fourteen years and led the side to the titles in 2018, 2022 and to fourth place in 2026. The international press, represented by Khalil Hamra of International Football, covered the press conference where Zidane expressed an “immense emotion, even greater than when I debuted as a player with the national team”.
Match details and line‑ups
German referee Félix Zwayer officiated the match. Turkey lined up Çakir; Çelik, Kabak, Bardakci and Kadioglu; Özcan, Uzun and Yûksek; Güler, Yilmaz and Aktürkoglu, under the direction of Vincente Montella. France fielded Maignan; Koundé, Upamecano, Lacroix and Diouf (or Truffert); Koné, Rabiot and Cherki; Olise, Dembélé and Kylian Mbappé, with Zidane as manager.
Zidane recalled that his last stint as Real Madrid coach was on May 22, 2021 and that, since then, he turned down every offer until Deschamps stepped down. He inherits a high‑quality squad that, however, left the 2026 World Cup bruised after a 0‑2 loss to Spain in the semifinals.
Zidane backs Leny Yoro, barely seen in Manchester, for the Blues
Initial statements and upcoming commitments
The coach emphasized that the anticipation is natural but that “the protagonists are the players”. He commented on Mbappé, who recovered from flu‑like symptoms and trained normally on Wednesday, assuring that “he will be ready to play”. Injured Ibrahima Konaté left the camp and was replaced by Leny Yoro.
After the debut, France is set to travel to Belgium next Monday, will host Italy on day 2 and will face Belgium again on day 5, according to the Nations League schedule. The pressure on Zidane will be high, but the new manager trusts his squad’s ability to meet the immediate challenges.