Zidane reaffirms his seniority rule by naming Dembélé captain

If Ousmane Dembélé gets the starting eleven, he will wear the captain's armband for France against Belgium, according to manager Zinédine Zidane. The choice is based on the player's new status and the seniority rule that guides the hierarchy of the group.

Hierarchy of vice‑captains

Zidane reminds that the armband must first reflect a form of hierarchy linked to seniority. Kylian Mbappé retains the role of captain with 107 caps to his name.

In the line of succession, the manager placed Ousmane Dembélé, Adrien Rabiot and Jules Koundé as vice‑captains. This arrangement ensures continuity if the captain were to leave the field.

Le Parisien wore the armband for the first time in the French team on Friday in Turkey, after Mbappé's departure, then handed it to Rabiot when he left the pitch. This confirms the seniority rule.

Zidane had refused the armband in 2002, when Jacques Santini wanted to name him captain after the World Cup failure. He said that as long as Marcel Desailly was present, the senior should keep the armband.

This principle marked Zinédine Zidane's trajectory, who only accepted the captaincy permanently upon his return in 2005. More than twenty years later, he maintains the same logic.

Thus, Dembélé will not receive the armband solely for his current influence, but also because he has become one of the seniors of the group. The persistence of this rule underscores the continuity of Zidane's philosophy within the French team.