Zidane's wind fuels the French, but Deschamps lets Bouaddi slip away

Zinedine Zidane, at the helm of the Bleus, injected a breath of fresh air from his first four matches, with three wins and a draw, while Didier Deschamps faces criticism for not having selected the young midfielder Ayoub Bouaddi.

Newcomers to the national team

No fewer than six players have thus earned their first call‑up for the French team. This is especially true in defence where Andi Diouf, Jérémy Jacquet and Lenny Yoro have taken on their new stripes. In midfield, Lucas Da Cunha has established himself as one of the revelations of this period.

These debuts coincided with Zidane's first gathering, which led the Bleus to three wins and a draw in four matches, an encouraging tally for the new project.

Zinédine Zidane gives the Bleus a new boost after the 2026 World Cup

The Bouaddi case and the criticism of Deschamps

Another young talent, Ayoub Bouaddi, chose Morocco ahead of the World Cup, thus depriving the Bleus of a potential recruit. This decision has fueled the debate over Deschamps' recruitment policy.

« I think that the fact that Deschamps told Bouaddi he would not play in the World Cup, while obviously Morocco was reaching out to him, obviously weighed heavily », said Pierre Ménès.

Born in Senlis in a Moroccan family, Ayoub Bouaddi grew up in Creil before joining the LOSC academy, where he made his professional debut at just 16 years and three days old. He has thus played through all the French youth teams, from U16 to U21.

Thus, Zidane's first cycle shows a positive momentum with three successes, but the criticism of Deschamps over the “missed” Bouaddi underscores that the project remains fundamentally fragile.