Paris (France) (AFP) – After two victories in two matches, Zinédine Zidane hopes to prolong the pleasure against Italy, Friday in the League of Nations, to properly celebrate his reunion as coach of the Blues with the Stade de France, where he rose to the roof of the world in 1998.

Published on: 02/10/2026 - 08:16Modified on: 02/10/2026 - 12:29

The former N.10, who wrote part of his legend in the French team on the pitch of St-Denis, will set foot in his garden again but this time in the technician's costume. In an expected sold-out venue, the welcome should live up to the myth, whose debut at the head of the Tricolores is for the moment idyllic.

As he takes his first steps in front of the French public since his appointment on July 28, memories will inevitably come to the surface for the double scorer in the World Cup-98 final against Brazil (3-0), who experienced everything at the SDF, from his victorious shot against Spain during the inaugural match (1-0), on January 28, 1998, to his last appearance against Mexico (1-0), on May 27 2006, just before the end of his playing career at the World Cup in Germany.

“It’s a big emotion. We want to continue to write another page, another story,” the coach said on Thursday.

The context cannot be more favorable for Zidane, who is currently performing flawlessly on the Blues bench. After a success in Turkey (1-0) with his executives, on September 25, the successor of Didier Deschamps struck hard by bringing back, three days later, three points from Belgium after having significantly reshuffled and rejuvenated his starting eleven (1-0).

The Zidane effect is therefore working in full force and even the absence of captain Kylian Mbappé, scorer in Turkey but who had to leave the gathering immediately due to an injury to his left knee, did not have the gift of stopping the fine French mechanics.

Return of the captains

A new playing philosophy based on mastery of the ball, new players who integrate wonderfully and a solid base based on the backbone of a group that is fresh from being a semi-finalist at the World Cup: the coach, who said he was "blown away by everyone", could hardly hope for better for his first gathering.

At the Stade de France, it will be a question of not squandering the capital of sympathy among supporters, materialized by very good audience figures on television (6.8 million viewers for Turkey-France, 6.3 million for Belgium-France, according to Médiamétrie).

"I don't think about negative things at all, on the contrary. I have a crazy team so I'm going to give everything," Zidane explained.

Italy, which is trying as best it can to rebuild itself under the leadership of Roberto Mancini after missing its third World Cup in a row, is a priori largely within the reach of the French even if the Nazionale has just won very easily in Turkey (4-1).

The Transalpines, against whom "ZZ" concluded his career with his crampons on with a header on Marco Materazzi in the final of the 2006 World Cup after opening the score with a "panenka" from the penalty spot, are not opponents like the others for the former playmaker, who spent five years with Juventus Turin (1996-2001). To challenge them, Zidane will be able to count on his captains, rested in Brussels on Monday, headlined by Ousmane Dembélé and Michael Olise, author of a magnificent goal on a personal exploit just after his late entry into play in Belgium.

The 2025 Ballon d'Or should thus inherit the armband in the absence of Mbappé and try to mark his territory while he is for the moment the least visible blue star under Zidane. After his first successful final phase with the French team (6 goals at the 2026 World Cup), the Parisian, positioned in N.9 or false N.9 as at club, will be expected around the corner. But all eyes will once again converge on Zidane, more than ever the N.1 star of this French team.

© 2026 AFP

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