Zinédine Zidane recalls duels vs Mark van Bommel before Nations League

At the press conference in Paris, Zinédine Zidane smiles as he recalls the physical duels with Mark van Bommel, a memory he shares just before France and Belgium meet in the Nations League duel.

Old rivalry, new roles

The two former top midfielders often faced each other during their playing careers, but their playing styles differed clearly. Zidane, now head coach of Les Bleus, was explicitly asked about Van Bommel, who today is the head coach of Belgium.

"We didn't have the same playing style," the Frenchman explains with a broad smile. "He was the one who attacked me with tackles, but I liked his style. He had a lot of character and personality on the field."

Zidane compares his style to Van Bommel ahead of duel with Belgium

Preview of the upcoming match

On Monday the two coaches will face each other again, this time from the sidelines. It will be Zidane's second match as head coach of France, while Van Bommel does the same for the Red Devils.

Zidane warns: "It is a good team, which played an excellent World Cup last summer. They have a number of fantastic individual players, so we know it will be a very tough match."

Lizarazu praises Zidane's tactical gamble at the helm of the Bleus